The Unseen Guardian
by NakaruSoul
Summary: She was a Hero, a Saint then a Martyr. To me, she will always be a simple, innocent farm girl who gave up everything after she heard The Lord's lament. After she had sacrifice so much, her only reward was to be burn to death by the very people she fought to protect. I want to change that. I want her to have a happy ending...even if I have to make a deal with the devil to do so.
1. Didn't Expect This

**A/N: Story inspired by** **'** **Fate Soul** **', written by** **RequiemOfANightmare. Also, it might not be what you were expecting when you clicked this story. Don't judge to harshly.  
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 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything aside from Alexander**

 **Chapter 1: Didn't expect this at all.**

Let it be known that being a baby sucks, like literally. I had to suck on tits to just survive. Which is what I'm doing right now while my mother was busy cooing at me and rocking me steadily. I couldn't help but smile happily at her motherly gestures. Let it also be known that it had nothing to do with the fact that I was sucking on her tits. Not at all.

Well, how am I a baby in the first place? Well, that I'm not entirely sure myself. The last thing I remembered is that I was busy crossing the street but by reading shit ton of fanfics I concluded that I died by being ran over by something and got jettisoned out of the reincarnation wheel of memory erasing somehow and ended up here with all my memory intact.

If you ask me what's it's like to be reborn I would say that it's very traumatizing experience to be squeeze out of your mothers womb. I guess that's why no one remembers it. I wouldn't wish for it to befell even to my worst enemies. I'm not saying that I wouldn't want them to be born, I'm just saying that it's best no one could actually remember the experience of being born. I can still remember my mothers faint, buzzed screaming because of my undeveloped hearing and the sensation of being pushed out of her you know what, and I'm pretty sure I was covered in blood and other kinds of liquid. Oh god, the horror. The nightmares.

But let's talk about being a fetus first. To start it all off you had to spend nine months being crammed inside your mother's womb to develop your body slowly. Nine long antagonizing months of being bored inside your mothers womb. I was constantly longing for the touch of my keyboard and missing the games that I play dearly and the fanfictions that I read to pass the time. But hey, at least I got time to get over the fact that I died somehow. Still can't remember how I died though.

The first thing that I noticed after getting my conscious back is that everything is dark, I feel odd and couldn't move any parts of my body. Then I panicked, my mind was thinking of absurd things like being kidnapped by aliens or I got into an accident and became paralyzed or I'm in some sort of coma where only my mind was still awake.

Over the course of a few months, I got over the fact that I can't move, and didn't need anything to eat or do any other bodily functions. I also noticed that I seem to be submerged in some sort of liquid. Sometimes my body would brush against the soft walls that I'm being confined in and I make note that I'm not in some sort of tube since the walls are not made of glass or metal. It feels rather….fleshy? I actually thought was eaten by some sort of giant monster and is slowly being digested in it's stomach but feeling the lack of pain from being digested and the amount of time had passed I discarded the idea.

By the time I could finally move my shabby and still developing limbs I had already realised that I was a baby. And the panic came anew and my thoughts went to a completely different direction. At first is 'How the fuck did I die!?' then when I got over that I started praying 'Please have a dick.' over and over again.

I have no desire to bleed from my vagina once a month thank you very much and I do enjoy being a male like in my previous life. But as it stands it's till too early to figure out which gender I was and so I could only resign myself to wait for the result. And if I do ended up as a girl….maybe I could strangle myself to death with the umbilical cord once have enough function over my hands…. Now that's just dark. Thinking about suicide even though I haven even been born yet. I think I may have reached a new level of depression.

But as the months passed I could feel my legs brush against something between my tight, it's small (of course it's small, I'm still being developed here) but it's there. I cheered mentally that I'm still a male and didn't have to kill myself inside my mother's womb and cause my would be parents trouble.

Then a question hit me. What am I suppose to do when I'm born?

After thinking about it for a very long time, since there's nothing better to do. In the end I decided to use the wait and see approach. Once I pop out into the world I should try my best to pretend to be a normal baby. As in shitting and pissing everywhere just for kicks. Maybe pretend to be an idiot and try to stick dangerous things into my mouth like a normal curious baby would. Then I could practice the puppy dog eyes to get what I want.

But back then, I had no idea what kind of world I would be born into yet so I really had my hopes up that it would be some sort of fictional world with magic and stuff. I couldn't wait to grow up and go on an adventure and explore the world filled with wonders. Maybe it could be a futuristic world with highly advances technology and flying cars. I would love to try the games there. Imagine Visual reality. Then 'Sword Art Online' wouldn't be a far fetch dream after all. Or even better, being reincarnated into the world of one of the Anime I watched. Oh, the endless possibilities. Oh well, it's still too early to know which one I would ended up in so in the mean time, I spend the rest of my days thinking about the foreseeable future of diaper changing.

But enough talking about being a fetus. It's boring as fuck. The end.

Now let's talk about what's it's like after being born. The entire thing could be summed up in one word. Hectic.

I could somehow sense that people were rushing everywhere to get things. It might be the movement in the air that's causing it. They were also shouting things I couldn't understand, might be in a different language, I kind hope it's Japanese but my ears were still underdeveloped to be able to hear them clearly. I could feel myself being wrapped by something and was being passed around.

They were talking again, I could hear the worried tone that they were using. One guy in particular seemed to be panicking for some reason. The chattering were increasing in volume as the worried voices continue. A woman, an old one I suppose? Her voice had the tone of an elderly so I'm guessing that she's an old lady. She seem to be trying to calm the male down.

Shouldn't he be happy? I mean, I'm born successfully right? So what seems to be the problem? Why do I feel so weird right now. I feel like I'm slowly fading away. Oh my god, am I a stillborn!? No wait, if I am then I wouldn't be here thinking about things right now. Then something in the back of my mind clicked.

Oh yeah. Babies were suppose to cry after being born to inflate their lungs. I guess I was too used to not breathing after being in the womb for too long and it caus- Holy shit I can't breath!

In my panic I did something that every baby were suppose to do. I cried and started flailing around. I instantly felt relieved as air entered my mouth, down my throat and inflate my lungs. I kept on crying for god knows how long as the people around be started to calm down. I guess it might be my fault because I temporary forgot how to breath. In my defense I didn't need to for nine months.

Then I felt myself being cradled gently in someone's arms. Said person was rocking me in their arms as I continue crying like a baby I am. I could hear said person's heart beat and a gentle female voice cooing at me to pacify my fear, whispering sweet nothings to me and sending me into a blissful slumber. I couldn't help but feel completely at ease in her presence. It's almost like my instincts were telling to me trust her with everything I have.

Then I woke up in the oddest way possible.

I woke up with a tit being shove onto my face. Well, I couldn't really see well yet but I can assume it was a tit because nipples. Also, I could taste the breast milk. Never would have thought I would actually see real boobies in my poor excuse of a life that I've lead.

I was a nobody. Just your average eighteen year old who likes playing games and messing around in the internet. Now I'm living every mans' dream to have tits being shove onto their faces first thing in the morning. At least I assumed it's morning. Can't tell.

And so begins the life of being a baby.

Good news, I can shit everywhere I want. Bad news, I can't move so I can only shit on myself and can't plant poop traps around the house. But that function will come in due time….Man, I must have been really bored while I was inside my mothers womb…

 **One year later**

Good news, I'm now one year old. Which means I can now walk, mumbled weird words to pretend I'm still a retard and can still get what I want with my new found skill, the puppy dog eyes. I can also explore around my small humble house for things to do to stave off my boredom. Still not allowed to go out though. But from what I could see from the windows, mostly from the second floor where my bed is. I guess I'm in a small town or village judging from the buildings and people milling about.

Bad news, I never got the chance to plant stool traps since I'm mostly confined on the second floor because my parents are worrywarts and they also didn't want me to walking around the shop downstairs in case I get hurt. I've also found out that I'm not in some sort of fantasy or futuristic world since there's no magical creatures flying around, no weird looking plants or large forests and all that jazz. There weren't anyone carrying around big ass swords or staffs so I can also guess there isn't any form of guilds to that hires people to fight off monsters.

I'm reincarnated into the same world that I'm from, I guess?... Only thing is that I was born during the medieval era where electricity isn't a thing and they had old looking wooden buildings and still use horses to pull carts around.. My hopes for an awesome mystical adventure were crushed badly but I got over it pretty quickly. Who would have expected that I would go backwards in time anyway.

I've noticed that I've been having an easier time getting over things lately. I blame my state of mind and the trauma of being squeeze out of my mothers vagina.

Well, life in this era ain't all that bad but what do I know, I'm still a toddler. But from what I could gather by studying the daily lives of my parents for an entire year, the requirement to survive isn't really that high since all we need is food to eat, a warm bed to sleep in and a roof over our heads and paying taxes when some random dude came to collect them every month. But if you got sick then you're screwed six ways till Sunday because the only medicine that they have in this era is a prayer to God. And I don't believe in God. Good thing we're a healthy bunch.

From what I've saw so far, food shouldn't be too hard to get since my family seem to run a bakery or something downstairs because I can smell the bread everyday, I've also managed to walk down the stairs once and saw a large stone oven where the smell was coming from before my mother found me and carry me upstairs again.

We've already have nice warm beds and a roof over our heads and I suppose the bakery business is good since they always paid the taxes on time without any problem, at least I don't think there was a problem. If there is then I've missed it entirely. But my parents seem happy everyday so I'll assume that there isn't any problem.

Then there's winter. We have to stock up on our food and supplies like some preserved meat, veggies and firewood or risk starving and shivering to death in the cold. After that we continue the same routine yearly until you die of old age or illness.

I guessing that I'm going to have to inherit the bakery once I'm old enough then. Oh well, it's not really that bad. I do enjoy baking even before I died, now I just need to get used to operating the stone oven. The only thing I had a hard time getting used to was the toilets. I do wish they could invent indoor plumping already but I guess we all can't get what we want.

I still couldn't quite find out the year yet but I might in due time. But for now I must act like an innocent little child so my parents won't call witchcraft for being too smart for my age. I'm not sure about how witches are treated in this era and I don't wanna find out. But if I'm going to survive in this era I really need an attitude change or I might not live long. I'm going try being less hopeful for any magical things to happen and start thinking about how to actually survive in this day and age.

Anyway, I finally found out my parents names through the act of asking innocently. My father, Henry Randall, a big muscular middle aged guy with a badass black beard made out of pure badasstrosity. Also has a nice set of chest hair. His hair was black, short and well kept and eyes were crystal blue. He wears a loose white shirt and brown long pants with leather boots. He was built like a lumberjack that's for sure, it might be from all the wood cutting he did and hard labor that gave him his muscles. Needless to say, I feel safe when he's around.

My mother, Anne Randall, lovely lady with a beautiful face and a well defined features. Her hair was brown and tied into a ponytail, her eyes were the nicest shade of brown that's always so mesmerizing to look at. Oh and she looked about sixteen. Was I surprised when I realised how young she was? Totally.

I thought she was my sister or something when I first saw her but then I found out that shes my mum...well, let's just say I was in a state of shock for a while. Then again, I have no idea what the legal age for marriage is in this era so I'll withhold my judgment about my father being a pedophile. That lucky bosh'te, getting a lovely woman that any other men would die for. Was it because of the beard or chest hair? Might be because of both.

Anyway, she wears loose clothing like my dad, guess it's easier to move in. A modest long sleeve brown shirt and long skirt that reaches to her ankles.

Then there's me, Alexander Randall. One year old hyper active baby filled to the brim with curiosity. My hair and eye colour was taken from my father while my features were from my mother. Meaning that I looking girly enough to be pass as a female. Also, my mum thought it would be funny to put me in a dress. She couldn't stop gushing about it when she finally did and I really don't want to spoil her mood so I kept it on for an entire day, even if it's uncomfortable as hell.

Did I mentioned that I'm born in France and everyone is speaking french and that's why I had no bloody clue what everyone was talking about when I was born? I kinda had hopes that I was at least in japan because of Japanese, samurais and ninjas but meh, got over that pretty quickly too.

I have no idea what the name of the village I was born in called yet because I can't read french but I'm slowly learning. I guess it's thanks to my baby brain that I could absorb new information in a rapid rate. I also know how to swear in french and no I did not swear in front of my parents. I'm not that stupid. How did I learn that in the first place you ask?

Well, there's this one guy, I call him Bob for convenience sake, he's a frequent customer that would come by daily and would always complain about his day to whoever's free enough to listen to him a.k.a me, whenever I managed to sneak down from the second floor without being discovered. He tends to use a lot of swear words when he's venting out. I know I have my priorities wrong but hey, they sounded cool.

But he does get kinda heated once in a while and said more than he should. Thanks to that I now have a very rich vocabulary in the art of swearing in french. Bob would look like he's pissed all the time but deep inside he's a big softy. Sure he may call his wife a salope(Bitch/Slut) for ordering him around like the boss she is (I've met her before when she came and drag him home and to scold him for swearing in front of a toddler) but we all know that he doesn't really mean it.

I have no idea what's going to happen in France in this era though. I hope nothing bad happens. I kinda enjoy this life now even though I can't play the computer anymore. But seeing a bunch of young men being conscripted into the French army or the militia throughout the year made me doubt that. Something is brewing on the horizon, something big.

Then it hit me, I don't know jack shit about France's history. I'm was born and raised in South East Asia for crying out loud. What reason do I have to research other country's history in the first place? Heck, I don't even know my own country's history to begin with. If I was reincarnated in Florence during the renaissance then I would have at least know what would happen during 1459 – 1500 because of Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassin's Creed.

I'm pretty sure that I've read something significant that happened in France during my random surfing on Wikipedia but what was it about again? Argh, I can't remember. Is it war? I'm pretty sure it's war. The entire history of human kind is filled with wars so the question is, which one? I shouldn't have to worry about being drafted anytime soon since I'm only a year old so I can relax for now. Hopefully the war would end before I am finally old enough to be drafted….hopefully.

But enough of that. I'm currently standing in front of my bedroom window and watching the sun slowly peeking out from the horizon. It's a brand new day and it's time to wake my parents up so that they could start their business and bake delicious breads for everyone in the village. Why am I staring out the window instead of sleeping you ask? Nightmares. I fear that it may take a long time before I could even forget the events of my birth.

I move away from the window, my legs sinking into my mattress as I walk to the edge of my bed. I had to sit on the edge before I could slowly stick my leg down so I could touch the floor and use my hands to dangle on the edge so my legs could reach down further. It sucks being this short but at least I'm still growing. With my little feet finally on the ground I started tiptoeing towards the door and open it as silently as I can.

Once I'm out I continue moving like a ninja towards my parents room, trying not to make the wooden floor squeak beneath my weight. I tried to open their door without making the hedges squeak against my push. I succeeded like a boss and head on inside.

I look into their room and saw their bed, two figures that was covered by an extra large blanket were sleeping there, one breathing softly as she slept while the other was snoring. I could see my mother nuzzling her face against my father's big, strong arm with a small smile on her face while my dad was snoring away with his mouth wide open.

It was such a heartfelt scene to behold. It's almost sad that I have to destroy it. Almost.

Welp, time to be a brat and wake them up before I go back to sleep again.

I make perfectly sure that I'm unnoticed as I slowly move to my father's side. I narrowed my eyes at him as he continue to snore away, no doubt dreaming about something good if his grin on his face was anything to go by. It might have something to do with my mother's breast pressing against his arm though. Lucky bastard.

Now to be a good son and wake him up so he could prepare for the day ahead of him. With that said, I begin my warm up for what I was about to do and started doing stretches. Once I'm ready I started climbing the nightstand besides the bed, silently, like fucking a ninja man.

When I'm up and ready, I bend my knees and got as low as I could. My eyes were locked on to my target with all my focus. Then I leaped with all my strength and make sure that I stick up elbow out.

"Hyaaa!" I cheerfully yelled the as I rammed my elbow onto my father's stomach as I drop in.

"Oof!" the air was shot out of his lungs as I push myself up into a sitting position, laughing maniacally.

"Da, da." I called happily as I rock back and forth on top of my father, making him more uncomfortable while listening to his pained groans. I might be slightly jealous that he's hogging mother all for himself now that I'm old enough to sleep on my own and is getting revenge in the most childish way possible. Also, I suck at being a toddler, deal with it.

"Urgh, oh lord all mighty. The pain." my father grunted out as he grab my by my sides and lift himself up, causing me to squirm around in his grip. "Merde (Shit), my stomach." he grunted as he sat up straight and place me on his lap. He ruffle my hair while I try my best to defend myself form his attack. "Morning you little rascal, wish you would stop waking me up this way." he shook his head while a small smile on his lips and lift me up again.

You would think that he's pretty chill to have a one year old toddler doing his best impression of Leeroy Jenkins and elbow dropping from the nightstand but in truth, he's just used to it by now. Ma and Da was really freaking out the first time I did it. And boy was it fun to watch them react. Did they ever question the weird behavior of their one year old toddler? Nope, they just accept that it's part of my charm and roll with it.

He stood up and place me on the bed as he walk towards the wardrobe to change into his work clothes. "I swear I've only seen you do this to me and never to your mother." he mumbled as I took his place on the large, comfy bed and cover myself with the blanket and pulling up to my nose. I blink innocently at him from my position, pretending not to understand his words. But of course I would never do something like that to my mother. She's a woman for fuck sakes. Also, she's hella scary when she's angry. Kinda reminds me of Bob's wife. If all women in this era were this scary then I don't wanna marry...oh who am I kidding, they were still as scary as fuck even in the twenty first century.

My mother chose this moment to realise that her body pillow was missing and started reaching out to grab hold of something. Being the closest thing in the area I was instantly dragged in and cuddled by my mother as she mumbled contently at the newly acquired warm and squishy body pillow. I doubt she would be until the sun is shining through the window and I'm not strong enough to pry myself off so I'm guessing that I'm stuck here for now.

Oh well, my primary goal was to get rid of dad so I could have his side of the bed because it's bigger and more comfier. Now I'm going to go back to sleep until it's time for breakfast. All in all, I'm guessing it's a pretty good way to start the day.

 **Another year later**

Tree, tree, bush, tree, random farmer, tree, dirt, grass, dirt.

Man, playing guess the object with myself is rather boring. Especially when you're stuck in a god knows how long road trip on a wagon with your parents. I could try to take a nap but the bumpy road wasn't helping much in that area. My head keeps hitting against the wood when I tried to lie down and it's getting painful.

I look away from the dull view of trees and bushes and sometimes people that we pass by and turn my attention to what's inside the wagon. Sitting on the opposite side of where I am is my mother. She was finely dressed now as oppose to the normal loose clothing that she wore at home. She's wearing a...how do you say it again? Formal peasant wear?

Anyway, she just looks more presentable for going out. She was reading a book silently while enjoying the wind blowing against her face. She noticed me staring and smiled at me, she gave a small wave and I wave back while a smile of my own. Then I turn to the front and saw my dad holding on to the reins of the horse. He was busy watching the road to notice me staring. He's also wearing presentable clothing now, kinda makes me wonder what the heck we're doing today.

I look down on my own clothes and they too were more presentable (clean shirt and pants) than what I usually wear (soft cloth that acts as a shirt and pants). The cloth does feel weird but I'll get use to it eventually. Like every other things that I got used to.

I turn my attention back to the view and noticed that there aren't as many trees as before and more open fields that's growing wheat. Looks like we're heading towards a farm.

Thinking back, nothing much has changed after surviving for another year in this era. Life's still moving slowly and my routine was still the same except I could go downstairs now as long as I don't cause mischief. Now that I could stay more than a few minutes downstairs without being found and carried back up because toddlers are very bad at hiding, I could gleefully take in what's downstairs without worrying about being found.

I had fun watching my parents work. My mother was responsible for making the dough for the breads while my father was responsible for operating the stone oven. They were working together in a very synchronize fashion that would most likely take years to perfect. Dad would sometimes sneak in a few pieces of bread for me to eat even though mum repeatedly told him not to because I would be too full to eat a meal later.

But judging by the look she gave both of us whenever he did and the reduced amount of food on my plate so that I don't waste food, I think that she knows but let it slide anyway. Mothers always knows and it's scary.

By the way, did I mentioned that teething sucks? No?

Teething sucks. The end.

When I woke up today I thought that it's going to be like every other day where I would wobble down the stairs like a drunkard and greet my parents drowsily and sit somewhere while they start their day and maybe wait for Bob to show up and learn some french (swearing).

I was undoubtedly surprised when I saw that the oven wasn't even on and the shop wasn't even lit. I was confused at the sudden change and thought that something had happened. I started worrying that maybe mum or dad got sick and couldn't work. If they're sick then it would most likely take a few days of resting to recover and I sure as hell know that praying would do jack shit against the common cold. I had lived in an age far more advanced than this, of course I wouldn't believe in something like praying to cure any form of disease and when they die they would just chalk it up as God's will. What a bunch of bull.

But before I could lunch into panic mode my mother walked out from the back, causing me to ease a bit of my worries when I saw her. I immediately tried to rush over to her but as it stands, being a two year old is still giving me troubles in my motor functions. Can't wait to be able to run perfectly again.

When I reach her I immediately hugged her leg and she gave me an awkward hug in return because of our position.

"Alex." she said in a gentle tone. "Good morning." she smiled at me when I look up.

"Moring." Fuck, it's still hard to say things properly.

Mum just giggled at my attempts to speak and 'boop' me on my nose, causing me to scrunch it up in reflex. "It's 'morning'" she corrected me and pats me head affectionately. I remove myself from her leg and pointed at the empty stone oven. She just tilt her head curiously before she understood what I was asking.

"Oh, we're not going to work today." she said as she carry me in her arms and started walking towards the stairs. "Today, we're doing something different." she said with a smile. "We're going to visit an old friend of mine."

When I heard about it I was excited. Doing the same thing everyday could be boring just so you know and since I've never gone out before I couldn't wait to see what the world had to offer.

Once she reaches upstairs I saw my dad, looking very well dressed and holding up a piece of clothing in his hands. I blinked at the sight of it. But before I could figure out what I is, I was placed on the bed and promptly raped- I mean dressed with said cloth. Turns out it's a shirt and pants. I kinda forgot that they were basic necessities and I had to wear them if I ever I go out since I'm usually only covered in cloth when I'm at home because it's more comfortable.

Once I'm clothed and had an annoyed expression on my face dad lift me up. "Come now boy, you'll need to start getting use wearing them from now on." he laughed heartily as he place me over his shoulder like a potato sack. I'm pretty sure you're not suppose to handle toddlers this way old man. But hey, it's your era, what do I know about it. Maybe the babies were sturdier here.

I responded by kicking wildly in the air just to see if he'll drop me, I regretted by decision as his normal grip turned into a death grip.

With everything prepared I was carried outside for the first time of my life(this life) and I saw...pretty much what I usually see when I'm staring out the window. The only new thing that interest me was the horse and the wagon it's pulling that's waiting in front of my house.

I never saw a horse before and boy was I nervous. I think I was gawking at it like an idiot. My mother noticed my expression and burst out laughing before she took me from my father's death grip. She carefully inch me closer to the horse's head and I was scared. It looks so big, maybe that's because I'm small.

"Go on now. Try touching her." my mother encouraged. So it's a her? How can they tell? I slowly reach my short arms out, not knowing what to expect and tried to pat the our faithful steed.

It licked my hand.

Now I hate horses. My god, it's tongue has the freakiest texture that I've ever felt. I got the worst case of goosebumps after it licked my hand.

Mum didn't notice and she told me what the creature was, but in french. French makes everything sound cooler. Anyway, once dad loaded the wagon up with some stuff which I had no idea what they were, mum passed me on to dad and climbed onto the wagon before he passed me back again. I do rather enjoy not having to walk on my own. Having little feet does make things harder than it's suppose to. And with that done, dad took the reins and we ride towards the sunrise….and I'm once again reminded how much I hated waiting even before I was reincarnated.

Still not sure how they acquired the horse and the wagon though.

After what seemed like hours of watching thing pass by and my mother would occasionally talk to me and play with me. We've finally reach a very large house far away from the town that I live in. It's a big wooden cottage with that seem to be made for a big family to live in. I'm guessing that they're farmers because there's a barn not far from the house.

Dad got down and give my mother a hand on disembarking the wagon like a gentleman. I just leap at him the moment mum got down and since he's already expecting it, he just caught me mid air. Damn, can't land a good dropkick nowadays.

Once he placed me down I just pouted at him and he gave me a smirk that seem to be saying 'you better try a lot harder than that.' I narrowed my eyes at him and he seem to receive my answer. 'Challenge accepted.' and the entire family started walking towards the front door of the cottage hand in hand.

We have a weird relationship that's for sure. We somehow made our usual routine into a game. If I managed to catch him off guard and land a dropkick on him then I get to sleep with them. If I fail then I have to sleep on my own. It's warmer when I'm with them so I try my damn best to get a good kick in. But lately it's getting harder because he's more experienced in dealing with unexpected dropkicks now.

Once we've reach the porch they let go of my hand and I just rock back and forth in my position while my mother knock on the door. I'm rather curious on who we're meeting. Aside from Bob, I don't think I've ever talk with other adults before. Then again, I'm not much of a people person, even before I was reborn. I tend to keep to myself even with my other parents.

It's not like I don't love them or anything. We just never really do anything that resembles what a real family would do. We just let each other do their own thing as long as it doesn't inconvenient one another. Totally unlike Henry and Anne, they're awesome parents.

Once the door opened I was surprised to see a beautiful blond woman with a rather *Ahem* robust figure, on the other side. My god, does every woman in this era have to be total hotties? it's like I'm in some sort of anime….wait a god damn minute-

"Anne!" she exclaimed as she hug my mother. Mum hugs back with a high pitch excited squeal, undoubtedly happy to see her old friend. "Isabelle!" she called happily.

Dad was by my side and we both had our hands over our ears. I guess we both had already expected the high pitch girly squeal that all women would sometimes make whenever they got too excited. My dad turn to see me doing the same thing as him and nodded proudly. I just gave him a grin and let my hands down.

Do you know that woman can talk a lot? Well now you do. I think they haven't realise that we're still standing outside of the porch but hey, they seemed happy so I don't want to interrupt.

Apparently dad doesn't want to either or maybe he just doesn't want to lose against his son in a battle of patience. So far I seem to be winning as he was starting to fidget in his place. You can never win against me father, for my patience have been honed by the cruel and unforgiving demon that all twentieth century kids have encountered and survived called 'The Lag'. You can never win against someone who had to wait weeks just so they could finish downloading a one gigabyte movie that they so desperately wanted to watch for free.

Good times, good times.

Finally, after what seemed like eons of waiting, the blond lady, called Isebelle finally noticed that we were still standing outside of their porch and gasped.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. Please come in." she move form the door to allow us passage. Dad sagged in relief while I just shook my head in disappointment at him. Mum and dad walked in while I followed last. Issebelle saw me walk in by myself and goes all aunty at me. "Aww, aren't you a cute little fella." she cooed as she pinch my cheeks like all the other aunties that came over to our shop and saw me. I swear it's like it's their primary instinct after seeing a toddler or something.

Once she let go of my reddening cheeks I rubbed them in hopes that they would regain their colour back and walk towards where my parents were standing. The adults were talking animatedly and I had no freaking clue what it's about so I left their side and started exploring the place.

After making a round in the place I concluded that It's a nice home. It's big, cozy and there seem to be a lot of kids living here if the things thrown around the house was anything to go by. Strange, I haven't seen anyone besides the blond lady.

"Where's everyone else" I heard my dad ask.

"My husband is in the field working with the eldest while the other two are out doing an errand for me." she answered as they move to the table and sat down.

Well, that's convenient. Now this brings the question, if shes a farmer, why is she here instead of working.

"How's the baby." Mum asked. Again, that explains everything. The mother would need to look after the baby until it's old enough to survive without the need of constant surveillance. I walk back to my parents and stood by my mother's side….it's almost too convenient that I'm getting my answers to the questions that I'm thinking. Kinda brings me back to what I realised when I was outside the porch which would be-

"Oh, shes just the sweetest thing. I've never had a daughter before so I'm unsure of how I should handle this." Isabelle said while shaking her head slightly. I move to the table and tried to crawl up to my mother's lap. She carry me up and place me there and I listen to them talk attentively.

"I can't believe you have another one already." Mum said as she ruffle my hair, causing me to swat it away. "Just by giving birth to Alex here was painful enough already and I shudder at the though of doing it again." You don't have to remind me mum. I was well aware of how much you were screaming when I was popping out of you.

"Oh?" Isabelle said coyly. "What if your son wanted to have a sibling and started begging for one." she wiggle her brow knowingly at her.

Mum just taps her finger on her lips as she thinks of something and turn her head towards me. I just tilt my head in confusion. "Well, if that's what he wants then I'm sure I could handle it." she said in an unsure tone. Oh God, no. Please no. I don't want to be keep up at night by your love making sessions.

I look around again while I'm on my mother's lap because of the height advantage and noticed that there a cross hanging on the wall that I couldn't see before because I was too short. I'm guessing that the family christian.

The adults were chatting away- correction the ladies were chatting away while me and Pa were pretending to listen in but was actually bored out of our minds. I was starting to fall asleep on my mother's lap by the way.

"I've never seen a child so well behaved before." Isabelle said suddenly, causing me to snap awake at the sudden change of topic. I raise my head to meet hers and found that she was looking at me with interest.

"Don't let his quietness fool you. I swear he's like a prankster in the making from all the things he did when no ones looking." Mum said. "He only quiet like this when he's experiencing something new. I think it's because he doesn't know how to react to it yet."

Hey, I'm not that bad...am I?

Their conversation was interrupted when the sound of a baby's cries echoed throughout the cottage. Isabelle looked panicked and quickly got up from her seat and head towards where the sound originated from. Mum and Dad got up too with me being carried by mum and followed her.

When we finally reached a room I was placed down and I saw Isabelle cooing at someone inside a wooden crib. I could see the tiny limbs flailing around as the baby cries loudly. Now that I think about it. I never really did cry a lot when I was still that young. I hope I didn't raise any suspicions.

Isabelle carried the baby covered in cloth out of the crib and started rocking her gently in her arms, whispering sweet nothings at her. It reminds me of when I was younger, as in a year ago, where mum would do the same whenever I got the nightmares of you know what and was shifting restlessly in my crib.

"Aww, she so cute." Mum said as she stood next to Isabelle, watching the baby slowly calm down from whatever woke her up. I move closer to get a better look at the infant but I'm too short so I could only stare up at the small figure that's resting in the arms of Isabelle.

"Shh, everything's okay." Isabelle said gently, patting the rear of the baby in a rhythmic manner.

I turn around and saw Dad looking unsure of what to do in this situation, kinda like me. Like father like son I guess. I turn back and try to reach out for the baby and see if the ladies would notice me. Isabella did and she tilt her head curiously at me actions.

"Do you want to hold her?" she asked as she crouch down to my height.

No I don't, but I nodded anyway. I actually only want to see what she look like. If you're letting a two year old with stubby limbs to hold a god knows how many weeks old baby then you have a problem lady.

To my surprise, she actually let me hold the baby. I mean, what the fuck? What if I dropped her!? Did you ever think of that? Is everyone just this carefree in this era or something? Now that I think about it, why did my parents let me near the stone oven in the first place? That was the most irresponsible and dangerous thing ever.

Again, to my surprise, I didn't drop her. In fact, I'm actually strong enough to hold her in my arms. I could feel the strain of the baby's weight but that's it. Wow, I guess the toddlers were tougher in the olden days.

I look down into my arms and I think my heart melted. She was just the most adorable thing that I've ever saw. Her eyes were closed but her arms were sometime moving a bit. She has the chubbiest little cheeks that made me wanna pinch them and her scalp already has hair growing on them. When she opened her eyes to look at me I was captivated by the sight of her amethyst coloured eyes. They just look so pure and charming.

Man, if she's anything like her mother she gonna be one hell of a looker in the future. Too bad she's jailbait to me because I'm older mentally.

The baby just look curiously at the new face that she never saw before and raise her hand and plop it onto my nose.

 _Aww, you're a cute little fella aren't ya._ I smiled happily as I try to rock her in my arms. I never noticed that the adults were looking at me with interest.

"I've never seen him this happy before." Mum whispers to Isabelle.

"Oh really? Then I guess you should really start with giving him a sibling." She laughs and got a playful slap on her shoulder in return.

 _I heard that_. I thought to myself as I continue rocking the adorable baby in my arms...until she suddenly pees on me. Everyone in the room laughs at my plight, my dad the loudest. I turn my head towards him and narrowed my eyes threateningly at him. I'll get back at him tonight. Just you wait old man.

I turn my attention back at the baby at hand. _I'm starting to change my mind_ _about you being cute_ _._ I thought as I puff out my cheeks at her in mock anger.

Then she looks at me with those beautiful eyes of hers and laughs happily at the face I'm making.

Again, I'm re-changing my mind if that makes any sense at all. Meaning she's back to the cute category. You win this round you chubby little fella. Darn me and my inability to resist cute things. What's your name anyway?

"I've just realised that I never ask for her name." Mum suddenly said. Again with the convenient timing but good point though, I can't keep calling this bundle of adorableness 'chubby cheeks' forever now can I? Can I?

"Oh, her name is Jeanne," Isabelle said.

Jeanne eh? Nice name. Kinda familiar somehow but anyway, back to what I noticed when I was in the porch. I've never realise it until now but somehow everything look...animeish. Like how somethings would be normally impossible in real life keeps happening. Kinda like how my questions keep getting answered by coincidence and what not.

Maybe I am actually in an anime that I didn't know of? What show would actually be set during the medieval times and in France? Nothing that I know of. Maybe I'm just overthinking things.

Well, there was something I read about in Wikipedia about a hundred year war but I'm not that unlucky am I? The only reason I read about it was because I watched Fate/Zero and Caster was talking about some woman he admired so much. What's her name again? I think it starts with a J or something. I think she was called-

"Jeanne d'Arc." Isabelle finishes.

Yeah, that's right. Jeanne d'Arc. The girl who was burn to death by her own people because she….oh...OH!

I look back down at the baby in my hands and saw her staring at me in curiosity with those innocent eyes of hers.

Shit. I didn't expect this at all.

 **A/N: First time writing something like this. If I'm going to continue then I'm going to need to research on her history. I really don't like studying D:**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading. Please leave a review on what you think and I hope those Fate series experts would tell me more about how the Holy Grail works because it's going to happen sooner or later in this fic...if I even work up the motivation to plan for it that is.**

 **I might miss some things because my history isn't really that good so i need someone to point things out for me for both the hundred year war and life in the 15 century, and also some things in the Fate series. Point them out when if there are any mistakes please.**

 **Seriously though, Review. I need to know what you think.**


	2. Life goes on,-

**A/N: Psssst, review after reading. Please?**

 **Chapter 2: Life goes on,-**

" **Jeanne d'Arc, she's an interesting person if you want an honest opinion.** **I was under** **her command you know?** **She is a charismatic individual, able to rally and inspire our men even when things seem bleak.** **Her beauty was enough to turn heads where ever she goes. But we're not here to talk about her now are we?** **We're here because you asked what I know about** _ **it**_ **.** **"**

" **There were times** **where** **I would think that** **I** **w** **as** **being watched by someone** **or something.** **I know that were were surrounded by** **our** **soldiers and they would** **sometimes** **gaze at our noble leader because of her beauty b** **ut what I felt** **back then** **was different,** **it was targeted at me.** **"**

" **It doesn't feel like the gaze of someone who was watching** **me** **with respect or worship. It felt….judgemental. The feeling** **only** **got heavier** **t** **he closer I got to Joan** **and when I asked the other commanders they also admitted to have felt it** **. There was one time that I asked** **Joan** **if she'd felt** **the judgemental stare and** **she** **shook her head but** **told me that it was different for her. She felt like she was being watch over by** **something and she felt safe under it's watchful gaze.** **It was like a** **g** **uardian,** **looking out for her** **.** **"**

" **I almost didn't believe her but there were plenty of times when she rush head first into danger only to come out mostly unscathed save for a few patches of dirt that got on her armor during the scuffle.** **I didn't know if my eyes were playing tricks on me but sometimes I would see** **a blur** **flying out of nowhere to deflect debris that were falling towards her** **and sometimes enemy soldiers would die mysteriously before they could get close to her** **."**

" **The time where I saw it the** **blurring object the** **clearest was during the 'Battle of Jargeau' when** **Joan** **was scaling a ladder. I was follow behind** **her** **and I saw a large stone being thrown at her. The size of it could knock anyone off and cave in their skull, even if they were wearing helmets."**

" **I was terrified** **when I saw the English soldier hoisting up the stone at the top of the ladder. I fear for Joan's life and wanted nothing more then to pull her out of the way but she was still too high for me to reach.** **Even if I could reach her, I doubt I could do anything** **in time** **."**

" **Then, just as the stone was about to make contact with Joan's head, it shattered into** **tiny** **pieces,** **bouncing off Joan's helmet** **.** **I admit that the spectacle left me with my jaw hanging. Even in my stunned state I managed to notice something in place of the stone.** **I** **t was** **imbedded** **so deeply** **into the wall** **that you could only see** **it's** **end** **sticking out** **,** **it** **was an arrow."**

" **Just as soon as I blinked it vanished, leaving nothing behind but a hole where the arrow struck. It was after that did I started believing that she was being watch over by some sort of...'Guardian'. Yes, that would be a good name to call wh** **at** **ever it was.** **Unseen, yet always present to protect our heroine."**

" **You would think that it's protection would extent to her men but no, I doubt it. I think it wouldn't care less if we were to die. It's only concern was to protect Joan, everyone who wasn't the enemy wouldn't** **be it's target and** **suddenly die and that's good enough for me."**

" **I call the Guardian it** **because I am certain that it wasn't human** **.** **An arrow that could destroy** **a large stone** **?** **I doubt any normal human could do that."**

 **-** **Gilles de Rais** **(1445), when asked about Joan of Arc's Unseen Guardian**

 **-0-**

" _You see, kiddo. This part goes here. And then this one goes here._ _You have to connect the and align the sights properly otherwise you can't aim properly." a man's voice gently instructs someone, accompanied by the sound of metal parts clicking together._

" _Dad." a young teen's voice called out, he sounded terribly confused at the situation that he's in._

" _Yes?" the man answered, completely unaware of the confusion that the boy was feeling._

" _I'm twelve." The boy answered._

" _I know that kiddo. So?" The man said, sounding confuse himself._

" _Why the heck are you teaching a twelve year old how to build a gun out of spare parts!?" The boy practically shouted out what he was thinking._

" _Why not?" came the man's nonchalant reply._

" _Because- because-" The boy started, but what he wanted to say was stuck on his throat before he falls into silence. "Huh, guess you're right. Why wouldn't I want to learn how to make a gun out of scraps." The boy sounded amazed by the new insight that he had._

" _That's my boy!" The man let out a hearty laugh. "Come on, I'll need to teach you how to make ammo later. So start assembling."_

 **-0-**

My eyes shot open and I was greeted by the sight of the wooden ceiling. The sun hasn't risen yet and my entire room was still dark. I found myself laying on my bed with my limbs all spiral around in an awkward position. I could feel something wet trailing down my chin and realised that it was my drool. I move my hand to wipe it away before I flop my limb back onto the bed listlessly.

 _'_ _That was some weird dream._ _'_ I thought to myself. I never thought that I would be dreaming about my past life at all. Now that I thought about it. Even my parents in my past life never really cared about letting their kids near dangerous things that could potentially maim or kill them.

My previous dad was a Gunsmith so he would constantly give me some guns to test fire them in the shooting range. If I remembered correctly the first time he handed me small handgun was when I was six. As I grew older he would let me test out the bigger and more potent ones.

Eventually, he would teach me how to make my own guns and tried to hammer the basics into my head. But I realised that I had no interest in making guns so he reluctantly let the matter drop. He looked like a kicked puppy when I told me that I don't wanna be a Gunsmith when I grew up. I suspect that he even planned on handing over the shop to me one day.

After I reveal that I had no interest in becoming a Gunsmith he said. _"What!? Why not? Guns are cool! They could hit people from distances and they make the wackiest sound whenever you reload them. Not the mention the satisfying felling you get when you hear the ammo casting hit the ground."_

And my reply was. _"Dad, I'm not a gun fanatic. I'm more of a traditional kind of guy. I like swords and bows more because they look_ _so much_ _cooler."_ Then he went and cried in mum's arms because I shattered his dream of converting his son into being a gun fanatic. And we never spoke again.

Okay, I lied. It wasn't that serious but he did kept on trying to get me to learn how to make guns. I did learn a few tricks here and there but that's all. I could make a few models of handguns since the blueprints were engrave into my brain no thanks to my old man's constant nagging for me to learn.

I noticed that it was slowly getting brighter and I squint my eyes as a ray of sunlight shot through my window and tried to blind me with it's brightness. It looks like I've been laying on my bed for a while now. I guess having a bed next to the window would mean that you'll be unable to sleep in unless you have curtains to block the sunlight. I was feeling rather lazy today and thought that I could sleep for just a few more minutes.

I close my eyes and tried to fall asleep again but the light shining on my face was very irritating.

"I don't wanna get up." I whined as I pull my blanket over my face to act as a shield against the offending sun. I continue laying under the blanket while listening to the people outside the window starting up their day. I could hear the hoof of the horses trotting against the dirt as they drag wagons along the path, pulling what I assume to be goods somewhere.

The people of living in the small village called Domrémy are starting to wake up and you can hear them buzzing about, eager to start their day early in the morning. So...freaking….early…. Those damn masochists.

Well, I can't blame them for wanting to start their day so early. They do need to work for food after all. Being in the fifteen century means that you need to work harder to survive than their twenty first century counterparts and I admit that I might be a little moody after I woke up. I apologize for calling those hard workers masochists.

I could hear the people exchanging greeting they pass by each other, doors were swinging open and closing as they enter or exit their homes and going about their business. Things were starting to get loud as more people start their usual routine for the day. You could hear the chattering of housewives, the chirping of the birds as they flew by, the barking of the dogs and some occasional shouting.

Then I heard the familiar sound of a Blacksmith hammering away at a piece of metal. My house was near a smithy so it's not that weird that I could hear the sound of someone smithing metal ingots into tools that people use in their daily lives. I keep my eyes closed as I listen to the sound of metal being strike away on an anvil. I imagined a man standing behind the anvil swinging down his hammer at the glowing orange metal placed on top of it, slowly shaping it into a tool that would no doubt make people's life easier.

By the way, the smithy was owned by Bob so it's not hard to imagine what kind of person was standing behind the anvil. Smithing always seem to amaze me, turning a piece of metal into whatever you want it to be. I wonder if I could become a blacksmith if the whole baking thing doesn't work out for me.

Despite the constant activities going on outside my window, I continue fighting against the rising heat that's being generated inside the blanket and the need to get up to start my own day.

But that task prove to be harder than I imagine it to be. I've already learned about the difficulties that would no doubt follow if I continue to lay in my bed years ago but yet I still try to do it anyway. But as it stands, being completely covered by a blanket and having a ray of sunlight shining upon you could make things rather hot.

Eventually, I gave up and toss the blanket aside. "It's so hot." I panted out as I enjoy the cool air that my blanket generated as it flap away. Feeling rather annoyed that I couldn't get the extra minutes of sleep that I wanted, I tried to glare at the sun but it turned out to be a bad idea as my eyes were instantly assaulted by the light. "Argh! My eyes!" I screamed as I cover them with my hands and in my haste to shield my eyes from the sun I instinctively roll away from it. I had forgotten that my bed was not as big as it used to be because I had gotten bigger and is still growing.

I tumbled off it, my eyes were wide open in panic but then I put on a look of a defeated person on my face, the kind that you have when you know you can't win against the inevitable. Like the one you would make when you lean against a chair too much and it fell. That 'Oh well.' look.

I landed on my butt.

"Argh! My arse! Fuck." I groan out in pain as I turn around to stick my arse out into the air with my hand covering my rear and my face planted on the floor, trying in vain to lessen the pain by removing it from the ground. It didn't work.

"Stop trying to destroy the sun with your eyes Lexie. You'll just hurt yourself." the voice of my mother called out from downstairs was filled with amusement. It would seem that she had heard my fall and figured out what I did to cause it in the first place. My eyes widen and I purse my lips thinking one thing. ' _D_ _id I swear out loud_ _?_ _'_

"Since you're up already, why don't you up come down for breakfast. No use pretending to be asleep you know." Mum called out light-heartedly.

But seeing that my mother didn't say anything else that would indicate that I had swore loud enough for her to hear. I sigh in relief as I push myself up from the floor but stopped suddenly when I remember what mum called me with, I was on all four with my back arched like a cat.

"Stop calling me Lexie!" I shouted out heatedly, feeling embarrassed at being called a girls name. I'm not sure how but I think I could hear my mum giggling downstairs. I'm a man damn it! Lexie sounded so girly for crying out loud. I had no idea when mum decided to use that nickname to call me and I kept telling her not to but I think she's doing it just to see me get riled up from being called that. I think I should stop reacting to it to deny her the satisfaction of seeing me pouting in anger but I keep failing.

After I push myself into a sitting position with my legs stretch out and my hands behind my back to support my weight, I glance around my room. It's a rather small one but it has enough space for a person to move around. There was one bed placed by the window and a desk and chair for my own use. Other than that there's a box to store all my clothes in. And that's pretty much it. It's pretty spartan, all things considered. There's no toys littered around the room and no clothes scattered on the ground like any lazy kid couldn't be bothered to pick up. There's nothing to indicate that I have spend a lot of time in my room either.

I tilt my head back to stare into the ceiling. My eyes were unfocused as I started thinking back on things. It has been four years since my reincarnation. Nothing much has changed and life goes on indifferently. The only thing new was that I could go outside on my own now. The people in Domrémy were nice and all, maybe it's because I'm just a kid. I got to play around with other kids my age but I got bored rather quickly and just do something else that interest me.

"Lexie~ breakfast is getting cold. You better hurry~" Mum called out in a singsong voice.

Knowing better than to get annoyed at my mum's teasing again, I heave myself up from the ground and pat my rear to get rid of the dust that I might have gotten on me when I fell down. Once that's done I move towards the door and open it without having to tiptoe to reach for the knob. I silently pump my fist in the air, feeling rather proud of my accomplishment for being able to reach for objects that was once too high for me to reach two years ago. Being short sucks, that's for sure.

I got out and close the door behind me before I make my way down the stairs. I was greeted by the sight of the normal morning routine of my household. Mum would have already prepared breakfast and lay it on the dinner table while dad would already be eating his share. Mum would either eat along with him or wait for me to come down, looks like it's the former this time.

Mum finally noticed me coming down the stairs and wave at me. "Good morning Lexie." she called out and my eye twitched, trying my best not to show my annoyance of being called that nickname. I finally reach the bottom step and turn to face my parents "Morning." I greeted with a lazy wave while suppressing a yawn that was threatening to escape my lips right after my greeting.

"Morning kiddo." My dad greeted energetic. Man, where do he get his energy from so early in the morning? I wish I inherit that from his genes instead of his hair and eye colour.

"Morning." I replied tiredly as I walk towards the table and flop down on the chair. I glace at my plate to see what today's menu is. Bread, cheese and milk. The same thing like yesterday, and the day before that, and before that. People in the fifteen century really didn't have much variety of food to eat, especially peasants because they are poorer than nobles or they just don't know how to prepare a better meal. I'm not a picky eater so the frequent sight of the bland display of food in front of me didn't do much to kill my appetite. In fact, I could eat only cup noodles for a whole year straight without even feeling sick by the sight of it.

Before I could dig in to my meal my mother interrupts me with a small cough. My hands stop midway to reaching the food and my head turn to face her with a raise eyebrow, feeling confused.

"Don't forget to wash your hands now." Mum chided me in a motherly fashion and I pouted at her while crossing my arms. Mum just fix me with a stern look. Why do I have to wash my hands before eating? I didn't see dad wash his after he scratched his ass just now. Or maybe he took the chance to scratch it while mum was focusing on me. Cunning bastard.

Ah right, I remembered now. The Black Death, it's been what people's been talking about along with the war with the English or something, haven't really been paying attention to it. it's been spreading a lot lately and killing hundred if not thousands. One of the ways to prevent it was hygiene and another was to keep the area clean to prevent rats from appearing.

And with a huff, I push myself off the chair and walk to the wooden basin in the corner that's placed on top of a stool and filled with water. Ah, yes. I forgot to mention. We had to collect water from the well and place them in buckets around the house and baths consist of taking a rag soaked with water and wiping yourself with it because guess what, no indoor plumbing. You can't just take a bath whenever you want because getting water from the well is such a pain. Easy water access is one of the things that I'll miss from my time I suppose.

I took the basin down from the stool since it's too high for me and place it on the ground. The water rippled as I set it down and I waited a while before it became still, allowing me to see my own reflection on it as I stare into the basin.

A pair of crystal blue eyes greeted me and I could see the face of a child. My face. I grimace and my reflection followed. I'm still not sure how to respond to seeing an unfamiliar face staring back at me whenever I look into the water or anything that could reflect my image off it. It just feels so weird wearing someone else's face like that. I wonder if I could ever get used to it once day.

Anyho, I finally lost my baby fat and no longer look like a chibified monster. I'm kidding, I looked adorable back then. Now I look somewhat reasonable enough not to be pass off as a toddler, which is nice. It gets annoying when housewives started cooing at you, making the 'Aww' faces at you and then they would get all touchy-feely and started pinching you and lifting you up.

I've never felt so violated before.

Then, there's my hair. Black as the night and silky smooth for no reason. It grew out just fine and dandy. I only have one problem with it though. It defies gravity by standing on it's own.

GRAVITY. DEFYING. HAIR.

I'm not sure if I should be impressed or annoyed that my hair is standing on it's own. Thankfully, it doesn't stand all the way up like a Mohawk. I just look like I have a bed head….maybe it's because I have a bed head. But it doesn't stay down for long even after I wet it so I can rule that out. I could do without all the spikiness though, but oh well. Maybe I could stab someone with my hair once it's grown long enough. That would be awesome.

My goal right now is to grow it out so that I could get a ponytail but first things first, washing my hands.

After that business is done I ate breakfast with my parents. Nothing much to say here though. It was a quiet affair where we all focus on mutilating our food with vigor. Correction, me and dad were mutilating our food with vigor, mum is as graceful as ever and is making us feel inadequate in our table manners but we continue eating like we used to anyway.

Breakfast was one of the moments where I had a lot of time to think. Therefore, I started to think about my immediate future. Which would be five minutes into the future. Like what I'm going to do after breakfast. But what I'm going to do when I grew up however, is something I really can't be bothered to think about. Or rather, something I don't want to think about. I'm still a kid damnit. Why should I worry about what I'm going to do when I'm older. I should be enjoying my second childhood, especially when my first wasn't that great and it involves a lot of video games….on second thought, it was great but I doubt spending your childhood killing Nazi Zombies in FPS and monsters in RPG games could count as something meaningful. So I have decided with certainty on my future plans, waste childhood first, then think about my bleak future.

Not that there's much to think about though. It's either get drafted into the army or inherit the bakery.

Since I'm still too young to help out in baking business, mum wants me to go out and explore more and get along with my peers, broaden my horizon she said. But instead of mingling with other children I tend go to the smithy and stare at Bob while he's working. Needless to say, he felt creep by the kid that keep looking at him with wide, unfocused eyes while standing as still as a statue.

The only reason why I look like that was because my mind drifted off while I was watching and I kept thinking about the future. The far off future, Jeanne's future, not what I want to do a few minutes later. I was trying to recall what I could of the Hundred Years' war that I read about in the Wikipedia so I could find somewhere to escape the conflict. Sadly, I never paid much attention to it because of the wall of texts and lost interest in reading. The only reason I was on that page was because I wanted to see what Joan of Arc did to become so famous.

Speaking of Jeanne, she turned two this year.

"So Alex," my dad begin after he finishes eating his breakfast. I look up at him with my face still stuffed with bread and tilt my head at him. "What are your plans today? Not up to pranking people I hope. I've got enough complains already." He look at me with a hopeful look, hopeful that his son was not up to pranking people today and he would get a day off without any complains from other villagers.

My latest prank involve a single dead looking rose. There's a substance in it called cythilicus, it's a mechanical irritant therefore making it the perfect itching power. Needless to say, every male in the village was scratching their balls all day that day while the women were surprised at the sudden ball scratching then amused. The women were safe though. I was raised better than to target women in my pranks. It has nothing to do with the fact that they were scarier than everything that I've ever faced so far with my two lives combined when mad. Nope, not at all.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, feigning innocence. Blast, I never expect him to find out what I was planning so soon. How did he find out?

Dad just raise an eyebrow at me while looking smug. "Stop pretending boy." he told me with a laugh. "I saw you making more of your 'Wappy Cusan' yesterday." he said.

"It's called a 'Woopee Cushion' and I wasn't making more, I was just fixing and making the one that popped stronger because Joey was too fat. I want to see if this one works on him this time." I corrected on instinct before blinking as I realised that I've slipped up.

Dad just smiled as he rubbed his beard and I registered the fact that I confirmed his suspicion that I was planning on pranking someone today. He tricked me into admitting my plans for today, and in front of mum too. "Alex." my mum called out to me in an oh so sweet tone. I straighten in my seat instantly, my chair clutter against the floor as my back slam into the back rest, lifting it up before my weight force it down again.

I stiffly turn my head to face my mother and I saw her smiling at me with her eyes narrowed and head tilt slightly to the side while her finger was on her chin and other arm place on her elbow as support. I gulped and quickly dart my eyes to see what my father was doing. I could see him flinching at the tone of my mother, looks like he's afraid of her too.

"Y-yes?" I meekly answered to her call, the sense of doom was slowly creeping up on my back. My hands were gripping onto the side of my chair so tightly my knuckles were going white.

"What have I told you about being naughty now?" She asked, eyes narrowing further into silts, staring at me like she could look into my soul and discover all my hidden prank plans that I have been piling up because there's just nothing to pass the time with. Hey, the fifteen century can be very boring when it wants to. You can't blame me for trying to spice people's lives up.

I let out a 'meep' as my eyes dart to the side to see what my old man was doing right now, no doubt feeling the effect of mum's stare even though it wasn't aimed at him and cowering in his seat like me. But no, he wasn't.

He was gone.

Fucker abandoned me. No wait, he got me into this in the first place! Sodding bastard, is this how you wanna play it huh!? Fine. Two can play at that game. If I'm dying then I'm dragging you down into hell with me. I wanted to save this as my trump card for future uses but you leave me no choice Father. With deep breath, I prepare myself for what's to come.

"Fuck!" I cursed out loud for everyone to hear.

The entire kitchen became eerily silent as my mother's eyes widen in surprise at the word that I just uttered out. The entire air became still in our household and the liveliness and rowdiness that could usually be heard coming from outside suddenly became an empty void filled with only silence, it's as if everyone in the village heard me and pause in their activities just to see what's going on in my house. I swear I could hear the pin drop just now, oh wait. It was the fork that my mother was holding, she dropped it during her shock. I glace to the window to see why the heck it became so quiet and I got my answer, causing my eyes twitched at what I saw.

There were people looking in from it, even Bob was there too. Like seriously? Have they no sense of privacy? Oh wait, this is a village in the middle ages. That means that everyone is hungry for gossip and their curiosity would make them do strange things as long as it entertain them. Like looking into someone else's window.

I seem to be the only one to notice the bunch of people gathering by the window as my mother was still frozen in place with her eyes opened so wide, it almost look like like she had just discovered the answer to how the Egyptians build their pyramids or if the chicken came first or the egg. Or maybe, she've just heard her four year old son swear out loud for the first time in her life. Yeah…. that could be it.

Mum place both her hands down on her lap slowly, her eyes, half-lidded while regarded me sharply, never once leaving my figure as I slowly shrink into my seat, trying to be as small as possible in hopes that she couldn't see me. But it prove to be pointless as she continue to stare at me. I could feel my sweat sliding down my back and I quiver in my seat. I'm starting to think that this is a bad idea.

"Alexander Randall." My mum called me with my full name and that right then, was when I knew that I've fucked up big time. Fucked up big indeed. I meekly look up to meet her gaze and instantly look back down. Holy crap, her stare is so intimidating.

"Who taught you that word?" She asked me in a serious tone, she has a stern visage plastered onto her face, giving her word a more frightening effect than it normally should.

My eyes dart to the window again while keeping my head in place and I set my sight on Bob. The large, rough looking man notice that I was looking at him and his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. He quickly clap both his hands in front of his face and silently begs me not to tell on him for teaching me all those swear words. He has enough scolding from he wife already and he didn't want to add my mother to the mix, not especially after he saw how scary she could be.

But don't worry Bob, I'm not going to tell on you. My target is someone else, someone who completely deserves to be in this situation with me right now. I look back up to my mum, flinching again when I meet her eyes and I open my mouth to utter a word that would doom the person who tricked me.

"Dad." I answered.

And this is how two grown men (one was in the body of a child) was subjected to the world's most terror-stricken scolding of their lives. They were both huddling each other with they body shivering in fear while kneeling on the ground as the woman of the household reprimand them. She never raised her voice, not even once. She just told them how disappointed and cross she was at us, all while using a skill so ancient yet well known today. One so potent and could instill an overpowering sense of terror in the one that was used on.

Not everyone could learn it and only a mother could ever hope to master the age-old skill. I call it 'The Stare'. Oh God, the eyes! The eyes! Any grown man would almost wet their pants if it was directed at them!

Once the scolding was over and done with and mum had already gone to make the dough for the bread. The Father and Son duo regained their motor functions and life continue on as it should. The villagers who were watching outside instantly vanished from the window the moment mum finished and started walking away. No doubt, gossiping already.

I pull myself up from my kneeling position by using the chair nearby as leverage. Dad and already got back up with ease, look at me with a raise eyebrow while I glare at him weakly. No doubt he's already used to getting 'The Stare' judging by his swift recovery. He smiled at mouthed 'You win this time.' before walking off to work.

Me on the other hand, still needed time to completely recover, my legs were still shaking rather badly and I don't fancy falling down when I move around. Mum said that I can go out and play just as long as I don't cause mischief and thus, my plan for today was busted and I needed something else to do.

As I wait for my legs to stop shaking I should mention that I gave seeing if there's any magic in this world one last shot and I tried meditating to see if there's any hidden power in my body or something. Did I achieve anything from it you ask?

Yes, yes I did.

I managed to create the largest, loudest and smelliest fart to date. It sounded like a freaking earthquake...okay I might have over exaggerate it a bit, but still, it's smelly. I think my father fainted when he smell it when he was walking over to see what I was doing because I wasn't moving at all. It made the entire thing cooler. But after that stunt I completely gave up any hopes of there being anything magical in this world.

Now that my legs are no longer doing the impression of a vibrator I could finally walk out the door and find something to kill the time before I had to hitch a ride to the d'Arc's farm and see how our would be heroine was doing.

I had wanted to record down the raise of Jeanne d'Arc and leave it for future generations to read all about her because the information from Wikipedia just wasn't enough. But I chose to hold it off until she's older because the only thing she's done so far when she was an infant was cry, barf, pee and poop. I mean who wants to know when she got her diapers changed.

What would the historians in the future say? What would the history teachers say? 'Student, please read out loud the passage of when and how Joan of Arc crap herself during her infant period.' Okay, it totally wouldn't happen but I'd like to be sure just in case so, no recording embarrassing things.

But she's two years old now and is running around energetic and filled with curiosity so I wouldn't have to worry about dropping her like before. She's too big for me to carry now, kinda makes me sad though. Oh well, at least she doesn't barf on me when I hold her anymore, that's a plus.

As I walk towards the door like a someone who needed walking therapy my mum walked by busily while carrying a wooden basin, her hands were covered in flour and some got onto her face. She saw me about to leave and her face brighten up as she thought of something. "Alex." She called out and I turn around to face her. She looked like she had completely forgotten what had transpired just before as she bend down to reach my level. "Could you please check on your sister for me before you leave? It would be great." She requested while pursing her lips, making the puppy dog eyes at me and giving me no chance of refusing at all. Cheater. She knew I couldn't deny her if she uses that.

Speaking of which, I might have forgotten to mention that I have a sister now. Ah yes, the little fella was conceived a month after we got back from my first visit of the d'Arc's family. Even though I've tried my best, I've failed to cockblock my father. Even after I force myself to say awake during my nightly stake out in my room, listening for any sign of activities in my parents room did nothing to prevent my mother from getting pregnant. And that leaves me asking.

How did he do it!? I was sure that I never heard anything that indicate that they were doing the deed. I might have fallen asleep by mistake but I'm a light sleeper for fucks sake. I would wake up with just the smallest creek of the wood but yet he managed to impregnate mum without as much as making a sound. How did he do it? Magic? Or was his skills in bed so terrible that he can't even get a moan out of mum. If so then I am severely disappointed in him.

Anyway, it didn't matter how he did it because I have failed in the end. I am sorry mother. I have failed to prevent a giant grizzly bear from impregnating you….Oh well, I got a cute sister in return so I guess it's not that bad.

"Okay." I finally relented. Mum nodded happily at her accomplishment and move to ruffle my head, getting flour all over it. I tried to swat it away but alas, my limbs were too short and weak and now I have black and white hair. "Thanks Lexie." She said happily before leaving but I remained unfazed by the nickname save for the slight twitching on my eye.

With a new purpose in mind, I turn around to head towards the stairs while slowly regaining my ability to walk properly and I use my hands to get rid of the flour on my head. Climbing the stairs was made harder than it should be but I managed to reach the top with no problem.

I open the door that would lead to my sister's bedroom which is coincidentally next to mine and peek inside. The room doesn't have a lot of things to decorate it yet because the occupant is only a year old and still sleeps in the crib, the crib that once belonged to me. My eyes rest upon the small figure of my sister, seeing that there's no movement and only the slight rising and lowering of the chest, I silently head towards the cradle and look inside.

Sleeping soundly without a single care in the word was my sister. One year old and is already able to stand on her own. It makes me proud to see such rapid growth and soon we will have to potty train her so I wouldn't be called to change her diapers anymore. I can't wait to be freed from diaper duty.

Anyway, when she first pop out of my mother and I hope the she couldn't remember the process because it's hella traumatizing, she looked like a horribly deformed -slash- mutated potato. Now that she's grown, she resembles a kawaii potato. Get what I mean? Yeah, I didn't either. Anyway, she looks cute as fuck right now and I wanna poke her cheek but I didn't want to risk waking her. She's has brown hair and eyes like mum and judging by how genetics works I guess she's going to be pretty like her too. Not that I know how genetics work in the first place.

Since she isn't wake right now there's nothing for me to do here. If she was I would need to check if she needed anything or a diaper change or just let her out of the crib. I decided to turn back and report to my mother.

"Mum, she's still sleeping." I called out once I reach the bottom step of the stairs but I got no reply. I look around to see that there's no one there, looks like they're in the other room where the stone oven is. Seeing that the sun is already up they need to start working otherwise we wouldn't have money to buy food.

I went and open the door that would lead to the stone oven and saw mum kneeling the dough with frightening speed and my dad was was using some sort of metal rod to check the bread inside the oven. They seem to be too busy to notice me if I didn't do anything to get their attention so I walk in and stop next to my mother.

Finally noticing my presence my mother didn't stop her hands but her head turn to face me. "Is Catherine awake yet?" she asked while still beating the crap out of the dough, I shudder to think what would happen if it were a person instead of flour and wheat.

"Nope" I replied while popping the 'P'.

"I see, well then, you're free to go out now. Just remember, no pranks." she reminded me in a jovial tone but it still managed to set my instincts ablaze, telling me to get the fuck outta there because I don't wanna get scolded again. Out on the corner of my eye I saw dad flinched and turn around to look at me with a 'Boy, Run you fool! She's still mad!' face before he turn back and resume working again. He didn't need to convince me.

"Yes Ma'am!" I instantly saluted, causing her to smile at my antic before I scramble out of the door, in fear of my life. And thus begins my day in Domrémy. Hopefully I can find something to do until the guy who has the means of transportation arrive so I can hitchhike to the d'Arc's farm. Then I'm going to play with Pierre and Jean, Jeanne could join too if she wanted.

Maybe I'll go bother Bob first.

 **A/N: Woo, done. Huh, it didn't took as long as I thought to finish this chapter. I thought it would be longer since I was working on two fics right now and is altering between them once the chapter for the other one was posted.**

 **N** **ow I'm feeling rather lazy and I have no idea which fic to focus on.**

 **Anyway, tell me what you think about this chapter, I hope it was good enough to get me some reviews because I really want to know what you guys think about it. Maybe point out my mistakes while you're at it. That would be great.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Judgment of the Arbiter – Thanks and maybe? I dunno, I don't think he would become famous enough to become one.**

 **BlackStormReborn – Hope I can meet your expectations then. But I'll say this just in case, prepare to be disappointed because I have no idea what I'm doing.**

 **HunterXX3 – I kinda forgot that he existed until you reminded me. Thanks for the heads up**

 **Kinunatzs – Darn it, I should have made the identity more mysterious until the last moment. Oh well, what done is done. Thanks for reading XD.**

 **Xxwarlovexx – Top three what?**

 **StarD – Why thank you. Just so you know, this is another failed attempt to write something serious. But it's all in good fun anyway.**

 **Shin XIX – Who knows, maybe he might not become famous enough to become a Heroic Spirit after death. He is suppose to be unseen after all. But if you're wondering about the class then….well, we'll see.**

 **TearWhenIPoop –** **Sorry about breaking the immersion. I'll try not to use any** **Deus Ex Machina** **if I can but no promises. Hope it doesn't make you lost interest in this fic. D:**


	3. -and on,-

**AN: I would like to thank King Keith or as I like to call him, Info broker Keith for like his title suggested, helping me look for information about things related to Jeanne d'Arc and the Nasuverse. Thank you my friend and sorry that I'm too lazy to search for it myself even though I could always google them.**

 **But the walls of texts man. They're like, enchanted with a sleeping effect or something.**

 **I would like to apologize about how long this chapter too. I was very busy like dying to Dark Souls 2 bosses and stuff and would most like still be dying to them for the foreseeable future.**

 **Also, I never thought I would get so much followers with just two chapters. Neat.**

 **Anyway, please review after you finish. I wanna hear what you think about this and I'm kinda sad no one ever mentions the humor in my fics because I don't really know if they're funny or not...besides** **StarD** **when he reviewed on my first chapter.**

 **Review replying time:**

 **Kinunatzs – Hmm, the only bullshit answer I could come up with is that magic is hidden and Gillies didn't know if it's existence? Yeah...in hindsight I really should have thought that through first. Thanks for pointing it out.**

 **Judgment of the Arbiter – I see, your explanation is noted and will be taken into consideration.**

 **Shin XIX – Hmm, I see. I see.**

 **King Keith – To tell you the truth, I got some on the historical facts right by coincidence. I didn't even research it at all but somehow got it right, weird huh?**

 **The Shadow Spectre – Thanks for reading. XD**

 **Math725e – You like the humor then?**

 **Silverbug28 – Why thank you. I'll see if I can dive into the art of gunsmithing if you're so worried about it but no promises. I'm just that lazy.**

 **Victory3114 – Ehehehe...maybe?**

 **Polymon – Yes, but to what I said yes about will remain unsaid for suspense reasons.**

 **Zentari2238 – D: why you gotta be so rude~ don't you know I'm human too~**

 **Alrighty then, lets get the show started.**

 **Chapter 3: -and on,-**

" **Elena Hector, Jeanne's personal blacksmith and most possibly, this generation's greatest blacksmith in existence. She's a natural born prodigy when it comes to smithing iron and metal."**

" **She uses smiting techniques that are never before seen. It's more refined, less costly and more advanced than anything anyone has ever bore witness. She is able to create weapons and armors faster than anyone else could and is able to supply our armies with high quality armament."**

" **But because of her gender she was frown upon when she first started as Jeanne's blacksmith. People were whispering behind her back, doubting her abilities. Some even tried to take advantage of her. Needless to say those lads were unmanned when her hammer found it's way between their legs."**

" **Soon though, she started earning respect from the people though her craftsmanship and she was soon hailed as a prodigy."**

" **Many has asked her where she had learned her technique before and her only cryptic answer was 'From a friend.' And that only brought up new questions, why was that friend who taught her how to forge like that. If he or she is as proficient as Elena or even better than her, then why haven't we heard of them."**

" **Elena herself was willing to share her knowledge to those who wanted to learn. Her only request was for her students to teach those who wanted to learn it for free and over the years her method of smithing was spreading throughout the world."**

" **There's no doubt in my mind that she has forged her way into the legends and would be remembered dearly by current and future blacksmiths."**

" **Heh, oh listen to me. Talking about someone like they're dead already. Thankfully, she wasn't nearby to hear me talk about her like this or she'll poke my eyes again. She's alive and well right now, you could go visit her if you want. Maybe she would know more about who or what you're looking for. After all she's-"**

 **-Gilles de Rais (1445), talking about Elena Hector, the greatest Blacksmith in the 15 century, last sentence missing from the damage on the text.**

 **-0-**

Have you ever been faced with an overprotective father before? No? Well I have. In fact, I'm facing one right now. If you want me to describe how it's like then I would say that I'm currently being stared down by a giant that seems to be able to summon the flames from hell behind him to give him the kind of look only reserved for villains. The guy looked outright aggressive and is blowing smoke out of his nostrils like an angered bull that wants nothing more than to charge at me. But the flames was actually just fire from the forge and the giant is actually Bob.

We're currently standing outside his smithy, Bob's blocking the doorway to it while I'm standing outside. His smithy was connected to his house, the smithy is actually an open air one because it can get really hot in there, so there's no walls to give the man his privacy, only wooden fences that acts as walls to stop people from wander in. The other villagers were walking around behind me but they ignore the stare off between the two males like it was just an everyday thing. It's probably because they've seen it plenty of times before.

The big muscular male, towering over one hundred eighty-eight (I think) centimeters with his biceps as big as bowling balls when he flexes them. His hair was short and brown with a rugged face and hands of someone who's been working hard his entire life. Needless to say, he's got a nice beard too.

I can imagine it already, years later, with a longer hair and beard that had gone white, Bob's gonna be like Andre from Dark Souls. That would be a sight to see. A beard worthy of the gods…..I miss video games.

Anyway, he's currently wearing brown trousers and black leather boots. He's currently topless because why not? It's freaking hot in the smithy, while only wearing a blacksmith apron and gloves. In his hand is a hammer though he doesn't look like he wants to use it to smith metal but on me instead.

Anyway, back to business. The current question is, why the heck does Bob look like he wants nothing more than to pound me into a bloody meat paste all over the floor with that hammer of his. Well, I did say he's an overprotective father didn't I? Well yeah, he's doing a sacred duty that only a father would ever be granted the privilege of trying.

That sacred duty is called, threatening boyfriends, oh wait, I'm four. Let me rephrase that. Threatening boys away from his precious baby. Basically he's trying to scare the crap out of me and get me to change my mind because I asked if his daughter can come out to play with me.

Well, you don't scare me Bob. My shaking legs proves nothing! Nothing I say!

Thus, I continue to stubbornly hold my position in front of Bob, staring at him without even blinking, hoping that it would unnerve him somehow. But Bob persisted and ignore my creepy stare and glare back at me. Like I've said, this isn't the first time we had this confrontation. I've been coming over every since I was a kid (in this body at least) and his daughter has pretty much been one of my friends that I've made during my four year of existence here.

Every time I came over to ask if his daughter can come out to play Bob and I would engage in a very intense stare off where lightning were appear in our eyes and strike against each other. Even though I have been subjected to Bob's fatherly Aura of over protectiveness that only appeared when he wants to prevent me from playing with his daughter, it's still freaking scary as hell man. I think his glare has only gotten worst the older I get.

Dude, I'm only four. I'm not going to elope with your daughter or anything. You need to chill out a bit. Besides, we've already been though this plenty of times already, you should know that your resistance is futile.

Suddenly, our stare off was interrupted when we heard someone's footsteps scuttling behind him. I could see a small figure quickly approaching us and stopping right behind the man I was facing off with. Bob's body was mostly blocking me from seeing who's behind him but I can see a lock of spiky red hair, swaying in the air.

"Daddy, why are you standing there?" a sweet childish voice asked from behind Bob and you could tell that it's a girl from the tone. I could see a flash of panic on Bob's face before he turn around, facing his back towards me to address the kid behind him.

"Just enjoying the morning air sweetie." Bob told her in an affectionate tone, his hand raise to ruffle the girl's hair. "Why don't you go back inside and see if mother needs anything?" he told her, using his massive body to keep me hidden from her sight while keeping his tone natural to prevent her from getting suspicious as to why he was trying to get rid of her. I could hear her giggling as she tries to get her father to stop messing up her hair.

Smart move Bob, hid me from her line of sight so that she doesn't know that I'm outside and distract her with a little bit of hair ruffling and keep her mind occupied by telling her to check on her mother for any duties that needs to be accomplished. It would have worked too, if it wasn't for that meddling brat who just had to get her attention. Oh wait, that's me.

I cup my hands over my mouth and call out to her. "E~le~na~" I shouted in a singsong tone. I could see Bob flinching as he realised that he forgot to keep me quiet before he tries to persuade her daughter to leave. Thanks to his oversight, I managed to get her attention without any problems, usually he would have been able to hear Elena approaching and quickly manhandle me and toss me into a cart of hay a few feet away. Then he tries to get her to go back inside and when I managed to get out and return to the place, Elena would have already return into the house. While I could have just shouted for her to come out, instead of facing Bob like this and she would have come out and play regardless of her father's wishes.

But I'd like to get his approval first, it's more challenging this way. Plus I get to see Bob's face when he got annoyed or mad that his precious little girl is running away with a boy and he can't do anything about it because he already agreed to it.

Not the elope kind of run away, just the run away to play kind.

I could see her head leaning over to the side to see over Bob's figure and our eyes met. I wave happily at her and her eyes widen when she saw me. Bob let out a dissatisfied grumble as he turn around to face me, arms crossed and face turn into a frown.

"Alex~" Elena shouted with a giggle and dart out around Bob and stop short in front of me. Then she leap towards me and pull me into a hug, I could feel myself being squeezed rather tightly. Dang, for a kid she sure has a lot of strength. My hands are trapped by her hug so I can't hug her back, nor could I push her away so that I could breath properly again. My eyes dart towards Bob and I saw him scowling at me.

Was that a crack that I've just heard? My bones are telling me that they would commit suicide if I don't do something soon.

Since we're talking about Elena, she's four years old, just like me. Though, I'm one month older than her. Her hair is medium length, red, messy and spikier than mine, like I've mentioned earlier. She has a pair of bright hazel coloured eyes that seem to be sparkling under the sun. She is wearing a blue linen kirtle right now.

She has a bubbly personality, though most of the time she would most likely be annoyed at me for something I may or may not have done and if she isn't then she would be like a monkey on sugar rush. She has that childlike innocence that would make anyone believe what she said and thus, I had recruited her to be my pranking partner. She would usually distract the adults while I lay my traps.

Though whenever we got caught I'll be the only one who's getting scolded because they wouldn't believe sweet little Elena would do anything like that. Oh, if they only knew how mischievous she really is.

Anyway, on to how we first met. When I was just a year old, and is able to mostly survive on my own save for finding food to eat, my mum was always busy helping dad and didn't really have much time for me. Thus she begins mulling over it for a while, walking in circles while mumbling about things she could do as I watch in amusement. Finally, she thought that it would be great if I started making friends to keep myself company and our neighborly blacksmith just so happen to have a kid as old as I am. And thus I was brought over to their house one day in the arms of my mother.

Mum asked Mrs. Bob (Still haven't figure out their names yet) whether or not I could be place here with Elena during the day so that I wouldn't be alone all the time. Then they both discuss the benefits of such an arrangement and the schedule for my stay.

Mrs. Bob, who looked like an adult version of Elena, with long red hair that goes down to her back, agreed to let me stay and keep Elena company. Since Bob's usually busy at the smithy, Mrs. Bob would be doing the housework. Once she's done she would mostly be free to play with us but would mostly leave us alone together and watch from afar, giggling all the while whenever Elena did something cute with me. *Cough* snuggling *cough*.

Our mothers thought it would be a great idea to place us together to play with each other and only intervene when necessary, thinking that we would be able to build up some kind of friendship that way. We did alright, although it mostly ended up with me looking after her and trying to stop her from putting any weird things inside of her mouth. And she does that a lot back then. I swear if I saw her trying to stuff another earthworm down her mouth I'm going to flip out and prohibit her from playing outside until she's smart enough not to. But like I said, that was she was younger and she's smarter now so there's no danger of that anymore. Thank god for small miracles.

Bob was alright with me playing with his precious back then because I don't really look like much of a threat to her. But as the years passed and he realised that his daughter rather spend time with me than him, he got jealous. I came over one day to ask if I could play with her and he decided that I'm old enough to be considered as someone who wants to woo her and thus, the creation of our stare off game.

Mrs. Bob would just let Elena do whatever she wants unless it's something bad but Bob on the other hand, would most likely put up some resistance first. Like right now.

"Daddy, can I go play with Alex?" Elena asked once she let go of me, much to my aching bones' relief, and focus on her father, clasping her fingers together and swinging her hands side to side just below her tights.

Bob looked absolutely conflicted at Elena's request. On one hand he wanted to grant it so that he could see her smile but on the other hand...there's that smug looking kid that seem to be challenging him to say no. Oh wait, that's me. God damnit me, why you gotta make things harder. Bob narrowed his eyes and I quickly set my face to neutral, darting my eyes away so that I won't make eye contact with the man.

"No." he finally said after thinking for a while and my eyes return to gaze at the man, I could see the strain on his face as he tries to keep it natural when he saw his daughter's disappointed look. The passerby plus one adult in a kids body all knew that he wanted nothing more than to say yes just to see her smile. Just look at him, he's body is completely tense and his lips was purse into a straight line as he struggle not to say it.

"Why not." Elena whined as she pouted cutely at Bob. I can see him flinching in pain as some sort of invisible arrow stabbed him in the heart. Bob started sweating bucket loads as he tries to come up with an excuse not to let her go but Elena took his silence as something else entirely. She stride towards her father and latch on to his leg and started tugging on his trousers.

"Why not?" she asked in a half curious, half sad tone. Bob couldn't answer her because he couldn't come up with any real reason why she couldn't play with me. Elena continue to tug on her father's pants in hopes of coaxing out an answer from him. Bob's lips were quivering as he struggles with his inner demon, his eyes were set on me to give him the determination and reminder of why he said no in the first place. It would seem that he would stick to his answer till the end this time.

Oh Bob, don't you know that I always get what I want... unless my mother said so. I will get you to say yes, even if I have to employ the most underhanded tactic in human history. "Elena, do it." I ordered with glee, causing Bob's eyes to widen in panic as he realise what I was talking about and Elena to turn to face me and smiled before she turn back to face her father.

Elena somehow manage to enlarge her eyes over dramatically and pursed her lips together, making the saddest face that she could muster and aim it towards Bob, constantly asking please all the while. Her puppy dog eyes were something that I have taught her just in case something like this happens. The technique was made even deadlier with her childlike innocence, making it an almost sure kill skill and I must say, the effects were instantaneous. The passerby who saw her making her puppy dog eyes all had their heart melted by it and they were all silently sending subtle glances or glares at Bob, sending him a silent message of 'What the fuck is wrong with you!?' towards him as they walk by.

Thankfully I had already looked away before she unleashed her cuteness upon her target, in a few moments he would no doubt break down and agree to let her go.

Any moment now….

Odd, there's still no response from him. The only thing I could hear was Elena continuing to ask if she could go and play with me.

I quickly turn my head back just a bit and dart my eyes to the side so that Elena's puppy dog eyes won't be in my vision and saw something that shocked me to the core, something that I never thought would be possible and it cause my jaw to drop at the sight.

Bob was actually resisting his daughter's cuteness. How in the- Oh no. I have completely forgotten the fact that overusing the puppy dog eyes on the same person within a week's time frame would let said person to build up some sort of resistance to it. Damn it!

But wait!

He's slowly breaking down. I could see veins popping up on his forehead while gritting his teeth, he's squeezing his arms against his chest so hard that his muscles were bulging as he force himself not to look at his precious little angel.

But it's still not enough, we need another push for him to agree. Knowing that our normal tactics are no longer feasible in this situation I rub my chin in deep thought, thikning for a way to get Bob to agree but nothing solid came up.

So right now I have two choices. One, give up and in turn making Elena sad and quite possibly being bored out of my mind while waiting for my ride. Two, find some other way to get Bob to agree rather than using his daughter to soften him up for me.

Picking one would make me feel like a douche for making Elena sad. It would feel like thousands of needles laced with lemon being stabbed into my heart. Felt it before when I accidentally made her cry, didn't want to feel it again. So number two is the only choice now….which I'm still trying to figure out a plan.

Anyway, one of the reasons I came to find Elena was because I needed someone to play with until the guy with the horse arrive so I can get to the d'Arc's farm. Elena's the only one I've got. The rest of the boys my age are pricks and sore losers. They also might be a little resentful of me because their pants suddenly drop from their waist for no reason, especially the older ones.

They also make it known that they don't want to play with Elena. Something about her being more like a rowdy boy instead of a girl when playing. I guess they were still mad that they lost a wrestling match with her even though they're obviously bigger than her. That also goes to prove my theory that all women are all scary, no matter their age.

Pff, if Elena's anything like her mother then she would be a beauty in the future and they would probably regret not getting close to her while they had the chance. Not that I'm doing it right now mind you. We just so happen to be friends because of our mothers.

The second reason was because I'm bringing her with me to infiltrate a certain area that no one in the village has ever entered before without permission. We have been trying for a while but never really have any luck in finding a way in.

Elena seem to noticed that her usual tactics weren't working so well and drop her puppy dog eyes and started pouting angrily at her father, who was smiling smugly at me for some reason right after Elena dropped her technique. Tch, just because he survive this assault and I have no clue on what to do now because I never planned for this, doesn't mean that I'm going to give up.

What to do, what to do…. Hm? Who's that coming from behind Bob? Oh oh oh. I snapped my fingers as my face brighten into a smile. One that Bob didn't appreciate as he stare at me with suspicion but at least Elena did.

Turns out I don't need to do anything at all but wait. I signal for Elena to come over and she let go of her father's trousers, earning a confused eyebrow raise from Bob. She skip over and stop by my side, silently asking what's going on and I just nodded towards the person behind Bob. Elena saw what I was hinting at and she literally beamed with happiness, causing Bob to become unnerve at our expressions. I had an all natural look while Elena was skipping on her spot happily, eyes beaming with sparkles.

Bob was started to get worried, seeing that the two of us look like we've already won but couldn't figure out why. All of the sudden, he felt a hand on his shoulder. His body became rigid at the soft touch of the hand that came from behind him. He slowly turn his head and body around, the sound of metal being bend was heard emitting from him as he turn.

Right behind him was his wife, wearing a cotton green gown and looking amused at his attempts of preventing her daughter from playing with me. "I was wondering why it's so quiet in the smithy." she said to him with a smile and he gulped. Despite being shorter than her husband, she could still make the man fear for his life...or his balls if him quickly covering his groin was any indication.

Mrs. Bob saw us standing together, I had my hands claps behind my back as I smiled at her. Elena was waving enthusiastically with her other hand clench beneath her chin.

"Why, hello Alex." she greeted me as she let go of her husband and place a hand on her cheek and resting her elbow on her other hand, smiling back. Seeing that his wife's attention was on the kids, Bob let out a sigh of relief and let his hands down.

"Hello aunt-" I was immediately silence by the sharp look that she sent me. Well, looks like she didn't want to be called an aunty like always. "Ma'am." I hastily finished and she nodded.

"Can Elena come and play with me? Uncle keeps saying no for some reason." I asked innocently, noting that Bob had a horrified look on his face because he knows full well that his wife would support the idea and she would force him to agree and thus making me the winner because I got his approval anyway, albeit his wife was the one who forced him to give it.

I would need to start planning new ways to get him to let me play with Elena soon.

"Of course you can." Mrs. Bob answered, ignoring the look of despair that Bob had on his face before she push him aside with ease, like he weight nothing at all so that he wouldn't be blocking the way anymore, even though he was clearly trying not to be moved. Now I know where Elena gets her strength from. Mrs. Bob walk forward and stop in front of us, she crouch down so that she would be mostly the same height as us.

"Now you two remember not to get into any trouble now you hear?" she put on a stern expression as she warn us, while waving a finger. Both of us nodded eagerly, thinking of ways not to be caught so that we won't be in trouble. Bob tried to protest this development as he stalks closer to us.

"But honey, don't you think that-" his words were never finished as Mrs. Bob quickly stood up and spun around covering Bob's mouth. I don't know what kind of expression she was wearing but if Bob's shaking like that then I really don't want to know. I pray that I don't see Elena mimicking it once she grew older because if it's something that could scare a man like Bob then I would really stood no chance if it's aimed at me.

"What's this about you saying no about them playing together hmm?" she asked her husband sweetly, causing him to pale immensely. "You couldn't be trying to prevent them from playing together again could you?"

Bob let out some muffled sounds as his answer but neither one of us understood what he said so Mrs. Bob let go of her hand that's covering his mouth "O-of course not." Bob let out a weak laugh as he scratch his beard once his mouth was free, taking a step back just to be safe. Ha! I won.

Mrs. Bob nodded happily before she turn back to address us, this time she's leaning over and placing her hands on her knee as support. "Now, you two remember to play nice. And don't wander off to far otherwise you might get lost." Mrs. Bob went on a rant about what we should and should not do because she's a worrywart. Elena and I have already stopped listening halfway through but we stayed and listen just to be polite.

After a few minutes, Elena's mum finally finished and straighten herself, clapping her hands together to snap our attention back to her. For a moment there I've almost accomplish the feat of sleeping while standing. So close. "Alright then, off you go you two." she gave us a light push on our backs to send us off and we both beamed happily at her, causing her to smile at the sight.

Bob on the other hand just grumbled unhappily and by grumbling I actually mean swearing, or would have swore if both me and Mrs. Bob didn't stop him. "Sneaky little brat, I would have succeeded if the f-"

""No swearing"" Both me and Elena's mum snapped at him in sync. Mrs. Bob blinked in confusion at the second voice before turning her head to see me glaring at Bob.

"You may have thought those words to me because I just so happen to be there to hear it but I won't let you teach Elena any of those bad words." I declared heatedly as I pull Elena into a hug, covering her ears with my arms as I did so. She's too innocent to learn any of them and I will not let her learn any of it until she's old enough. I don't need a four year old adding a swear words in any of her sentences.

Elena had no idea what's going on but nevertheless snuggles against me happily, causing Mrs. Bob to let out an 'aww' at the sight and pull both of us into a hug, all while gushing at us, saying that I would be a perfect knight for her daughter. Bob looked guilt as he realised that he almost swore in front of his daughter.

Once Mrs. Bob let us go she set us off on our way, waving at our retreating backs. "Come back before sundown or if you're hungry." she shouted as we walk to a distance. Then she promptly spun around to face her husband, looking not so amused at all.

"Gilbert Hector." I heard her growl out as we walk away, how I managed to hear it even though I'm quite a distance away I'll never know. "We're going to have a long talk about your swearing habits."

Huh, at least I know Bob's name now. Looks like I can't call him Bob anymore….or can I? Judging from the whimper I heard emitting from Mr. Hector I guess Mrs. Hector sure knows how to make a man fear for his life...or balls.

Anyho, partner acquired. Now we just need to head to the site where our infiltration would take place and most probably fail again before we head back to see if the guy with the cart is here yet.

I suddenly felt some light tugging on the sleeve of my tunic when we were walking in the streets, with a few villagers mulling about their own business. I halted mid-step and turn my head around to see the cause. Elena was pulling my sleeve to get my attention.

"What?" I asked curiously, thinking that she might have forgotten something.

"Bread?" she asked cutely. She's asking whether or no I sneaked some bread out of the bakery to share like I normally did. But I've completely forgotten about it because of what happened this morning. I unconsciously let loose a shiver as I tried to repress the memory of the stare.

I sheepishly scratch the back of my head with a smile. "Oops, sorry. I don't have any today." Elena evidently didn't like the answer I just gave her and pouted at me, tugging at my sleeve even more. Looks like she was expecting to get some treat from me today. "I can't just make bread appear out of nowhere you know." I informed her.

"But you promised." She whined childishly, looking annoyed that I didn't keep my promise.

"I said I promise to give you some. I never said when." I reminded her as I plastered on a smug smile. Elena narrowed her eyes at me before crossing her arms while tapping her feet and my smile faltered. I could tell that she was thinking about something but I couldn't tell what it was. Somehow, I feel threatened by the kid's unamused look. Just as I heard Bob's scream of the damn while his wife unleash her feminine wrath upon him I realise something important. My god, that's the exact same look Mrs. Hector has whenever she's thinking of an appropriate punishment for Bob. She's really going to take after her mother!

Her eyes widen slightly as she thought of something and she suddenly had a wicked grin on her face, causing me to take a step back and gulped. Then I recall what she could do to get me to obey her commands without any resistance at all, the same thing that I normally used against my parents to get what I want without fail. My entire body snapped at attention and tired to turn away before she uses it but I was too late. She had already place both her hands on my shoulders in a death grip and yank me closer. Our faces were inches apart, meaning that I would be receiving the full force of the technique. She unleashed her puppy dog eyes at me.

Oh no. her cuteness, it's just demanding me to pet her and shower her with gifts just to make her happy. Oh shit, I'm losing control of my body! It's starting to move of it's own. Somebody! Get her to stop! Why is the edge of my vision starting to black out!? What the actual fuck!? No one told me that puppy dog eyes includes mind control! This is bull-

 **-0-**

When I finally regain control of myself I was confused at the complete change of scenery. No longer was I walking down the street towards the place where I intended to go but instead, I was standing outside my own house. I couldn't remember what I did to get here since my memory is hazy.

The only thing I could remember was those big round eyes that Elena made. I officially regret teaching her that skill. I tried to dive deep into my memory to see if I could find anything else but I was snapped out of my musing when I heard my mother's voice from behind me.

"Here you go Elena." I heard her said before I turn around to see her handing Elena an extra large piece of bread. She was thanking my mum happily as she hold on to the bread with both hands like it's some sort of treasure.

I blink in confusion before I noticed that someone was beside me. I turn my head around to see my dad standing there, looking at the two females interacting with each other. He finally seem to notice that I was looking at him and he face me with a raised eyebrow.

"What happened?" I asked, still stunned from the previous blackout that I had just now. Dad just had an amused smirk on his face. He look back the females before returning his attention back to me.

"You were on your knees in front of your mother, begging her to give Elena some of her sweet bread, saying something about it's necessary for making her stop using those eyes on you." he told me, causing some mass confusion in me as I couldn't even recall doing something like that.

It must have shown on my face because my father kneel down on one knee and lean forward a bit so that our height would be the same. He place a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look. "Son." he begins. "I know that you're confuse right now and had completely no clue on how or why you were doing something like that in the first place but don't worry. This is completely normal." he told me, his face serious and telling me that it was not a joke.

Say what now? How could being mind controlled by some godly skill that only kids or very cute women could use be called normal!?

"You see kiddo. This is something that would happen to any male at some point of their lives as long as they have female friends. Sooner or later, once your sister grew up, she would most likely do the same to you just to get what she wants." he told me in a sage like tone, his eyes meeting mine. I could tell that he's completely serious about this.

After what I've heard, I could only stare at him with a bemused expression. Then my face fell into one of of pure terror as I realised that my sister would one day be able to use it too.

"But do not fret. As long as you just do what they told you to then you won't find yourself in this situation so often." he gave me a kind smile then frowned "But if you think you can be stubborn and learn to resist it then let me tell you this now. Don't, because it usually doesn't end well for the male." Dad nodded to himself, as if speaking form personal experience.

"Besides, it's not so bad in the end because..." he trailed off, removing his hand from my shoulder to rub his beard in thought, thinking of how to word what he's about to say so that a kid would understand.

"Let's just say that it would be worth it." he laughed and slap me on my shoulder. Anyway, I'm guessing that my father has a lot of experience of following a woman's demands. Also, ow. That hurt. Wait, what did he mean by it would be worth it?

"Dad." I begin, getting his attention. "What do you mean by that?" I asked, my voice filled with confusion.

My old man grinned before he stood back up. "That's something you have to find out yourself boy."

I pouted at him, unhappy that he wouldn't just tell me what he meant because I dislike waiting. Oh well, can't do anything about dad's encrypted message. Not like I would lose anything if I didn't figure it out anyway.

I turn my attention back to the females. Mum was talking to Elena about something and she nodded before turning around and started running towards me. Before I could say anything Elena rush by, grabbing my hand with one hand in the process and started pulling me away. "Hey!" I complained as I follow her willingly after she dragged me a few feet away from my spot.

"Come on. Let's go already." Elena giggled before stuffing her face full of bread with her other hand as she continue to drag me away. In the distance I could hear the voices of my parents and my ears perk up.

"Our boy's going to be so whipped in the future, I just know it." Dad said in a voice filled with amusement. _'_ _I heard that_ _old man'_ _._ I growled mentally.

"You mean like you?" my mum replied, her tone filled with mirth and I heard my dad let out a whine. _'Ha! You tell him mum.'_ I thought happily. "like father like son I suppose." I heard her add and I let out a pitiful whine of my own. Elena's head turn around with a curious glace but she dismissed it with a shake of her head and continue pulling me away. Soon we came to a stop before she quickly turn around to face me.

"What are we doing today?" she asked me curiously, apparently she haven't thought to ask that before she dragged me off.

"We're going there." I said, pointing at the creepy looking old house that's build on the hill far away from here and is isolated from the rest of the village. The house was old, very old. So old that in fact, no one knew when it was built. It was passed down from generation to generation and it's current owner is an old lady, so old that I think she might be the same age as her house. In reality, she's just over sixty.

There's a rumor going around in the village that she's a witch and would take bad children during their sleep for satanic rituals and what not. But the truth was not as frightening as it seems and I found out via eavesdropping that she, along with the rest of the adults decided to cook up a story about her being a witch just to keep the kids in place or in my and the few other adventurous kids case, entertained until they get bored of it.

Plenty of us tried to find out whether or not the old lady's a witch, even though I knew the truth but was bored, and constantly go to her house as sneakily as they can to see if they could find anything about her. But being kids and all, they suck at stealth and would be found out by the old lady rather easily before they could even get close to the house. I think me and Elena was the only one who managed to reach the place without being seen. One time we've got within five feet of the window before the door barge open and the old lady came out with a broom shouting that she's going to turn us into toads. I could tell that she rather enjoy the game that she created herself.

Anyway, me and Elena ran like hell without even getting a peek inside of her house. But still, I want to know what's inside because boredom is a very dangerous enemy.

Elena's gaze follows to where I was pointing before frowning. "Again? We couldn't find a way in last time." Obviously she's talking about our many failed attempts of infiltrating the place.

It can't even be called an infiltration, really. It's more like we would search around the village to see if the old lady's there instead of being at her home and head there in hopes that the old lady would actually forget to lock her door or windows one day so that we could enter and claimed that she forgot to lock the door. I could just pick the lock but I'm not about to commit a crime and break into someone's house just because I was curious, especially when I brought Elena with me.

"You give up too easily." I ruffle her hair, causing her to pout and swat my hand away. Note to self, her hair is spiky and thus it is not advice to touch unless your skin is hardened.

"Oh yeah, what did my mum told you just now?" I asked, curious about the conversation that she had with my mum.

Elena place a finger on her lips, looking slightly aloof as she thought about my question and I notice a few bread crumbs on her face but kept quiet about it. "She told me not to let you do any pranks and she'll give me more bread if I did." she smirked at me, silently telling me that she intended to do just that. I put on a look of someone who has been betrayed and crouch down, putting my knees on my chest and started sulking, drawing circles on the ground.

What!? Even my best friend is going to betray me!? Curses, I never should have hinted about adding that herb into her dough to add more flavor to her bread, effectively making it more tasty and popular with the villagers. Now my most trusted comrade is going to betray me for it. God damn it past-me for being so short sighted.

"Let's go see if the old lady is here." Elena snapped me out of my sulkiness by dragging me by the collar while wiping her face. Note to self, wear thicker pants because I think my arse just caught fire from the friction of being dragged against the ground or maybe just don't let Elena drag me around.

"Hey! Let me go. I can walk on my own." I complained while kicking my legs in the air.

"No, you're always so slow when walking. I have to wait for you to catch up again." Elena huffed as she continue to manhandle me with both hands.

"I'm not slow, I just like to take my time besides, you're always in a hurry like your snack is always in danger of being stolen." I mumbled unhappily.

"You walk with the speed of a snail." Elena shot back.

"That's not true!" I reply heatedly.

"Yes it is!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

" ***Ahem*** "

Our childish bickering was interrupted when we head someone clearing their throat. I crank my head around to see who it was but Elena let out a gasp and dropped me before I could, causing my face to kiss the ground.

I push myself up with an annoyed grumble, if she keeps dropping me like that then sooner or later my face would be hard enough to stop a knife.

I finally stood back up, dusting myself off and turn to look at the one who coughed and saw an old lady. Meet Roxane Lalande, an old woman over sixty, hair whiter than normally possible and tied into a bun with a turban wrapped around her head. Her eyes were emerald and sparkling with amusement as she sport a kind smile on her face. She's holding on to a 'magical' staff as she call it but it's actually just a walking stick that's disguised as a 'magical' staff to keep the kids guessing whether or not she's a witch.

I said she's over sixty right? I've asked a lot of people about her age too and they all confirmed that she's over sixty. The only thing I can't figure out is why the heck does she look like she's still in her early forties!? How!? The secret to eternal youth!? By sacrificing the blood of virgins, babies and puppies!? Because she's actually a witch and she made a youth potion from the kids that she snatched and the game that she made with the rest of the adults were actually just a decoy to shave off suspicion when she actually snatch away kids!? There's barely even a wrinkle on her face for fucks sake!

Oh yeah, I should mention that she's our village's mayor or whatever they call it during this era. If you have a problem you go find her and tell her about it and she'll see if she could do something to fix it. She's also the one you call for help when you're giving birth and thus the source of the old woman's voice that I've heard during my...traumatic event.

She's also the one that help give the birthing process for Catherine. I was there to watch by the way, so was dad. Did we help while we were there? Nope, we were panicking like headless chicken, running around the house, shouting like idiots. Then the old lady kicked out asses and toss us out so that she could work in peace. Looks like dad did the same thing when I was being born too. I guess we really are like father like son. But hey, I managed to see Catherine's head popping out of mum's va- Oh god, the memories. So much blood.

"You shouldn't be fighting with each other you know. Friends should be getting along, not bickering like an old married couple." Miss Lalande chided us in a grandmotherly fashion, causing both of us to flinch in shame. Elena had her head down while fidgeting in place while I prevent myself from making eye contact with the old lady. I'm not sure how but the tone she used kinda reminded me of my own grandmother when she scold me for being a dick to my siblings. She kinda has that effect on people ya know? Making you think about your actions with just words.

I think she could even talk a criminal into reforming if she tried.

Then Elena sport a confused look on her face. "What does being married has to do with us fighting?" Ah, the innocence of youth. I'm surprised that I didn't react to that first, or maybe I'm just tired that people kept implying that.

Miss Lalande gave her a warm smile, her eyes crinkled in amusement before crouching down to her height. "That my dear, is something you'll find out on your own once you marry. Now why don't you two apologize to each other and make up." Elena evidently didn't like the encrypted answer and pouted. Nevertheless she nodded before turning to face me.

She let out a huff before apologizing "Sorry for being mean to you." she murmured, without looking into my eyes.

"Apology accepted." I smirked. "Sorry for being so slow all the time." then we shook hands and voila, friendship strengthened. Kids, always so simple.

"But I still think I'm faster than a snail." I added while puffing my chest out.

"No you're not! I even place one next to you to see who's faster." Elena pointed a finger at me.

"Only because I let it win." I defended myself.

"You're just trying to save face from losing to a snail." Elena accused.

"Pff, no way. You have no proof." I wave my hand in front of my face like I'm swatting away her accusation.

"Jeanne was there as veitness." Elena pouted as she pointed out the fact that we had force Jeanne to watch my race with the snail. How I lost to the damn thing in the first place was...well, I get distracted easily. Not my proudest moment.

"It's called witness, not veitness. Get it right!" I shouted as I let out a short laugh while I ran away quickly, causing her to pout even harder.

"Just because you know more words doesn't mean you're smarter than me." she started chasing after me.

Miss Lalande could only shake her head at our antics with a smile. "Ah, kids. Always so full of energy." I heard her say before she continue on her way, her 'magical' staff tapping along the ground, creating rhythmic taps as she walk along the bustling street. "Looks like I bet on the right pair after all. Fufufufu." she let out a humorous chuckle, one befitting for her age.

Speaking of the bet, it's somewhat of a pass time for the adults. I've found out about it last year when I could stay awake longer than usual. I noticed my parents leaving the house one night and sneakily followed them, like a fucking ninja man. I found out that they adults would gather at the bar once a year at night, drinking, chatting, having fun, playing music loudly. You know, stress relief stuffs and no, it's not an orgy, I've checked.

Then the old lady would commence the start of the bet. What's the bet about you asked? Shipping of course, or in other words pairings.

They all bet on which kid would end marrying each other.

Like seriously. They do.

They would spent the entire year observing us children to see which one is closer to the other and at the end of the year, place their bets there. In the beginning they would start out with just a few coins and as the year slowly passes, the money pool would increase. You could change the pairing that you've decided on at the end of each year if you noticed that the kids aren't as close as they used to be and you wanted to save your cash.

I think there's more rules involved but I couldn't find out about it because I was eavesdropping outside the bar and it's damn loud too. Hard to hear properly about what they're saying most of the time.

So far, I've found out that most people bet on me and Elena getting married for obvious reasons and some bet on me with Jeanne because I would go out of my way just to see her despite harsh weather conditions and stuff and would always cuddle the cute little fella without fail. Mum couldn't choose so she bet on me being with Elena and Jeanne. Dad was wisely choose to wait until I'm older. Mrs, Hector chose to bet on her daughter marrying me and Bob was grumbling away that so many people was betting on his precious little girl. I heard someone bet on me and that Agnes girl who's Elena's best buddy besides me. I didn't hear who Mr and Mrs. d'Arc bet on because it got too loud.

My god, they have nothing better to do don't they?

Then I rushed into the bar, causing the festive music and mood to stop and confusion was spread as to why a kid was doing here because you know, it's an adult only place and they told us children to stay at home to sleep.

After everyone's attention was on me I burled out the first thing on my mind. 'I don't wanna marry.'

Needless to say, it caused some chaos because a lot of people were betting on me already. Some dismissed it as just a child's way of thinking but those who had invested a lot of coins however were panicking.

Mum and Mrs. Hector were both demanding why while shaking my shoulders and I think mum mentioned something about grandbabies but I wasn't paying attention because I was trying to prevent my head from dislodging from my shoulders, Bob was silently cheering, then he felt insulted because he thinks that I thought his daughter wasn't good enough for me. Dad wisely watched with interest and the d'Arcs were disappointed in my choice.

My answer to the question was simple. 'Girls are scary.' oddly enough, that got a lot of sympathetic nods from the males in the bar. Sadly, their wives saw it and punished them for it. Rest in peace comrades, you will be missed.

Anyho, back to the present.

Me and Elena were already climbing up the hill towards Miss Lanlade's house but the sky starts to get darker the closer we get to the damn place. The house itself was old and worn down yet bigger than anyone else's house in Domrémy. It was build on a clearing top of the hill like I've mentioned before, it's surroundings were filled with trees with a dirt path leading towards the porch. They say that it was passed down for generations and generations and existed long before the village was found.

This wasn't the first time that the weather suddenly changed. I look up at the sky and saw a dark ominous cloud hanging above the building, blocking the sunlight from shining down upon the place, masking the building in a dark shadow. I turn my head around and saw the clear blue sky behind me and a bustling village down below the hill that seem so full of life. I turn my head back to see the dark cloud hanging above my head and a creepy looking building that seemed hunted and turn back to see a clear sky and lively village.

Totally not foreboding at all.

And you would think that I've watched enough horror movies to know where this is going. But fuck it, I'm bored. And so I continue walking towards the totally not hunted building with Elena in tow. I glace at the corner of my eye to see how she's doing. She seemed pretty chill about the whole walking towards the creepy building thing. A true testimony of the fact that we had done this plenty of times already. The first time we came here she was clinging onto me and hiding behind my back, flinching at every sound that the wind made.

You know, now that I think about it. It's kinda scientifically impossible for the cloud to just stay there and I don't think the cloud's moving any time soon either. I wonder why no one ever asked about the pitch black cloud hanging above Miss Lalande's house.

Then again, since when did I ever care about nature's whims. Hell, it could start raining dildos and I wouldn't even give a damn. I'm just that casual.

Once we've reached the porch, we stride in like we own the place and stopped in front of the door. I cross my fingers behind my back and reach my other hand out to the handle.

 ***Rattle***

"And it's locked, again." I said with a sigh and let both my hands down.

"Of course it's locked. Can we do something else now?" Elena grumbled, thinking that the repeated trip here was a waste of time since the door was never left unlocked whenever we came here. She clearly thinks that there's no chance of ever getting in at all.

"Well, let's try the windows first." I told her as I turn away from the door.

"I bet it's locked too." Elena follows me while skipping around.

"We could be lucky today." I informed her as I walk down the stairs from the porch.

"You said the same thing last time." Elena skips down.

"And I'll keep saying it until it actually happens." I turn around to face her.

Elena stops at the last step as she put on a confused face. "Why do you want to know what's inside?" she tilt her head curiously.

"To see if Miss Lalande is actually a witch or not. There could also be ghosts inside." I told her with a smirk.

Elena narrowed her eyes at me and place her hands on her hips. "Ghosts don't appear in the morning."

"Are you sure?" I challenge her as my smirk turned into a full blown grin, causing her to look unsure of her earlier proclamation. She fidget in place while trying to look tough.

"O-of course!" she stomps her feet on the ground. "Mum and Dad told me." she had her hands clenched into tiny fists placed under her chin as she told me.

"WHAT'S THAT BEHIND YOU!" I shouted in panic while pointing behind her.

"AAAIIEE" she shrieked as she leap towards me without looking back, burying her face into my chest in fear as I struggle not to laugh. Ah, kids. Always so fun to mess with.

 ***Meow***

""AAAAAH"" We both screamed at the sudden noise. I leap back from where the sound came from, pulling Elena with me to safety. I tripped on my own leg while pulling her and we both fell onto the ground, kicking up patches of dirt while we were at it. We were both clinging to each other tightly, Elena was shivering in place while I quickly look to the source to see what made that sound.

Sitting on the rails of the porch was a pitch black cat.

"Oh, it's just Miss Lalande's cat." I pointed out with a growl, causing Elena to stop being so frightened as my eyes glare at said cat. It looked at me with a bored expression then looked away, as if I wasn't even worth it's time.

"Huh?" she let out in confusion before pushing herself away from me to see if I was telling the truth.

Said cat meowed at us again and we both look turn to look at each other before bursting into laughter. We both feel silly about being afraid of a cat. I got up and gave Elena a hand. Once she's up she then went to where the cat was to pet it while I follow her. Oddly enough, the feline wasn't with Miss Lalande today to keep up her appearance of a witch.

"How are you today Sir Pounce-a-lot" she cooed as her fingers found the sensitive spot behind it's ears, earning a purr from said feline. There's one thing you should know about the cat, I don't like him.

Anyway, why is it named that you asked? Well, it's because- Argh! My eyes! It's raping my eyes!

Said feline immediately pounce at me the moment it got close to it, like always. I tired to hold it at bay but it keeps escaping my grasp like a slimy snake. Elena was evidently laughing at my plight as I struggle to fight against the foul beast. We wrestle on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand in combat. It tries to scratch my face but thanks to Elena's constant dropping me on my face, albeit not on purpose, my face is hard enough not to be wounded by such attacks. But it still stings though.

I fought bravely and valiantly, sucker punching said cat whenever I had the chance but even with all my effort I still lost in the end as Sir Pounce-a-lot sat on my carcass in victory, it's chest puffed up in pride as it lick it's paws, ignoring my pained moans as I lay on the ground in defeat and in shame.

Again, not my proudest moment.

"Good job, Sir Pounce-a-lot." Elena cheered happily as she picked up the cat from my body. I saw her handing the piece of bread that she saved from her earlier snack and it accepted it gratefully. I'm starting to think she trained the damn thing just for this moment.

"Sir Pouncy: Four and Lexie: Zero" Elena announced the results of the amount of time I lost to the damn feline.

"Don't call me Lexie!" I snapped from my spot.

"Hey Alex, why does Sir Pouncy hate you so much? He keeps attacking you when you go near him." Elena couldn't help but asked. True to what she had just said, Sir Pounce-a-lot kept attacking me whenever I come close to him. I wonder why myself. Could it be because I made it's fur suddenly turned pink that day? Nah. Couldn't be.

"I dunno." I answered as I push myself up and dust myself off. "Let's go see if the window's locked." I started walking around the house with Elena and the cat in tow.

Sadly, Elena was right and all the windows were locked tight. We have just tried the last one and I was feeling rather disappointed that I couldn't see what's inside of her house because it's dark and find her secret to eternal youth.

"See, I told you." Elena let out a smug smile while carrying the cat in her arms, it's legs were dangling in the air as Elena was holding it by it's chest.

"Fine~" I admitted defeat as I let out a long sigh and scratch the back of my head.

"Let's go see if Mr. Lassois is here so we can go find Jeanne." I told her as I turn around to face her. Somehow I manged to notice a glint in the cat's eye as it stare at me. I narrowed my eyes at it while the cat narrowed it's. I'm starting to think the cat's more intelligent that it looked. Could it actually be smarter than it let on? We stare at each other suspiciously until Elena broke us out of our stare off.

"Well, I'm going first." she said as she place the cat down and rush on ahead without me. Ah, kids. Always so full of energy. Now I'm sounding like an old man. Sheesh.

I watch her go before turning my attention back to the cat. It stare at me and let out a meow before trotting off to god knows where. Not before it swipe my leg as it passes by me.

I let out a hiss as I tried to dodge the swipe. Yep, it totally knew that it was me who turned it pink.

With the cat gone, I stretch out my limbs and got a nice crack in return before I turn around to follow Elena slowly as I could because I have all the time in the world. Say what you will about Miss Lalande but she sure knows how to keep a place secure. I swear she keep her house locked tighter than a nun's...bible…. yeah, let's go with that.

Suddenly, I had a weird feeling that I was being watched even though I knew that there's no one here. Miss Lalande was the only one who lives in the house and I think me and Elena (Plus the cat) was the only souls in the vicinity. Feeling extra curious, I quickly snap my head around to look at the house one more time, not really expecting to see anything...only I did and I did not like what I saw.

There was an orb of light quickly darting pass the window the moment I laid my eyes on it…..

Yeeeaaahhhh, nope. Not dealing with this. Cats and pushy girls I can deal with but possible ghosts? Nope, fuck that, I'm outta here. Without further ado, I ran down the hill like a bitch, completely missing the contemplative gaze that Sir Pounce-a-lot was giving me as he sat lazily on the rail of the porch.

 **-0-**

Once I'm back in the village I allow myself to rest, placing my hands on my knees while I pant like a dog. Yeah, I'm totally going to erase that from my memories now and avoid that place for the time being.

I look up and try to find Elena but couldn't find the familiar shade of red hair anywhere in the area and so I started walking around the village, looking for her. I decided not to tell her what I saw so that she wouldn't get any nightmares, or be laughed at, her reaction would most probably the latter as she would laugh at me in order to convince herself that I'm just seeing things.

With a sigh, I turn around the corner, and walked into an alley as a shortcut. Halfway in and lost in thought about what to do next I bump into someone. I was knocked onto my butt and winched from the pain. With a small grumble I look up to see who I knocked into and I froze. My body was tensed and I could feel my heart beating faster than it should.

I felt frightened. Fear was a feeling that I have come to know quite well from my past life and this one. But I've only felt two types of fear before. One of which you would get when you've done something wrong and is waiting for punishment and the other when you're wandering in the dark, afraid of what might jump at you from the darkness. But this time, it's different. It's not the kind that I would usually get back then. This wasn't the fear of the unknown nor the one when you did something wrong. This a fear for you own life. The person I ran into just screams of danger.

I saw a tall man covered in a cloak, hiding his body from view. I could smell something on him, the same smell that I've smelt whenever I walked pass the butcher. It was blood. I couldn't see his face properly because of the hood but there's one thing I saw when he looked at me and it was his eyes. It was black, easily blending in with the shadows of his hood if it weren't for the glint in them. But that's not what caught my attention, it was the emotion behind those eyes.

I don't know what it is, I've never seen that kind of emotion before but I could tell that it's bad. They say kids are more sensitive to other people's emotions and I guess it's true. This guy is planning something and it's bad.

"Oh~" he said in a sing song voice. "What do we have here." I could practically hear the smirk in his tone as he slowly reach out a hand towards me. My instincts were telling me to run but my body wasn't listening. My eyes widen in fear as my breathing hitched, my fingers were digging into the dirt.

 _'Getawaygetawaygetawaygetawaygetaway!'_ my mind screamed, whether it's for him or me, I didn't know. All I know was the I couldn't move, not one bit. My muscles were locked in place, paralyzed with fear.

His hand moved closer and closer, it looked like he only wants to give me a hand to help me up but I feel like he wants nothing more than to strangle my pathetic neck with his hands.

 _'Runrunrunrunrunrun **RUN!** '_ I forced my body to obey my commands and I quickly kick myself back a few feet away from the man before scrambling back up and ran. I ran and ran and never looked back. If I did I would have seen a cruel smile on the guys face.

I kept running, I didn't stop even as I ran out of the alley and into a place with a lot of familiar faces. I drew a lot of attention but they dismissed me as just a kid playing a game. I kept on going until I reached the center of the village where there's a well there. I lean against the stone well, my face paled to a sickly white. I tried to get my breathing under control as I slowly slid down onto my rear. My heart was still pounding against my chest as I hold myself with my arms.

Who was he? I've never seen him before. I never knew that a person could instill fear in a person with just his presence. He seemed like someone who would enjoy the suffering of others but why is he here? What's he planning? Whatever it is, I don't like it nor do I like the feeling that I get when I'm near him. I felt, nauseous.

Is he a killer? A bandit? A scout for the enemy? Shit, with the war going on I think he could be all three.

I need to tell someone, anyone! But who would believe the words of a kid with hyperactive imagination and a prankster? Damnit! I shouldn't have been so mischievous in the first place. There's got to be someone I can tell but who would even believe me!?

No, wait. There is one. She would at least be more cautious about the man and advice others about him if I put my words right. Now I just need to find her quick.

 **-0-**

"Miss Lalande!" I shouted as I ran towards her.

She was busy walking with another man as they stood in front of his stall. My shouting earned her attention and the annoyance of the man. Miss Lalande turn to face me, her kind grandmotherly smile was present on her face but it dropped into a concerned frown when she saw the state I was in.

No doubt I looked like a mess right now.

She crouch down to my level, her hands using her staff as a support for keeping her from falling over from leaning over too much. I stopped in front of her, panting from the search. I never ran so hard with my two lives combined.

"What's wrong Alex?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

Okay, how do I do this. Shit, should have thought about what to say first before finding her. Fuck it, I'll just wing it like I always do. Bullshit pumper activate.

"There's a shady man wandering around the village. He was looking around the place like for no reason. I don't like the feeling that he gives off when I'm near him. He just feels evil." I quickly said to her, using my most frightened face I could muster and silently cursing myself for nothing thinking this through first.

"Oh don't bother with the lad Elder, kids like him just loves to mess around, telling things that aren't true." the man that she was talking to said.

 _'Shut it background character! I don't care who you are but you're not important right now.'_ but I kept my mouth shut, temper isn't going to win me any favors here. I need to be able to keep my calm and look concern about the issue. Miss Lalande just stare at me long and hard her mouth pursed into a thin line.

"Are you sure you saw this man?" she kindly asked.

"Yes!" I replied without missing a beat, nodding my head eagerly.

Miss Lalande stood back my, using her staff as a leverage. She turn her attention back to the man, her face serious. Gone were the kind, gentle eyes of a granny. They were replaced with one of responsibility and duty. I could feel the tension in the air as she spoke to the man "Tomas, I want to you tell everyone about a possible bandit scout in our village and gather some men to catch him if you can. If he's gone then tell them to prepare for a possible raid in the upcoming days and keep the kids inside. I want you to do it discreetly so you won't alert the scout that we are aware of his existence." she ordered the man. Said background character stiffen at the sudden order and look uneasy.

"Are you sure Elder? The kid could be pulling another prank like always." he said. Tch, damnit past-me. Why you gotta make things so complicated for me.

"I know but the reports that I've gotten from the watch towers didn't ease the feeling that I've been getting and the boy's sighting of the man in the village proves that the bandits might have chosen our village as their next target. It's better safe then sorry Tomas. Now go." She told him and he nodded, slowly walking away as to avoid drawing attention.

Miss Lalande turn back to me and crouch back down. She place a hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze, she smiled gently at me, slightly telling me that it would be alright. Normally it would reassure me but with what I've just heard, it didn't really do much.

Why the fuck were they discussing this in front of a kid!? Don't they think I would blabber it out for everyone to hear?

"Thank you for telling me about what you saw Alex. Now why don't you go along and play. I think I saw Elena by the gates waiting for you by the cart. You're both going to visit Jeanne, no?"

I nodded, still feeling uneasy about the fact that the peaceful village that I've lived in could be raided by bandits of all things.

Miss Lalande sent me off my way and I walk silently towards the village gate. I ignore the people around me, deep in thought as I focus on keeping my legs moving. The feeling of dread was weighing my heart knowing that the people I know would be in danger if they bandits raided and yet, I couldn't even do anything to help.

I could only hope for the best I suppose, I'm just a kid after all, it's not like I could do anything about it. I sucks being powerless to do anything. I let out a self deprecating sigh as I carry my legs towards my destination.

Soon I was nearing the gate, I could see a cart with a horse attached in front of it. I could see a middle aged man dressed in a tunic and trousers. standing next to the cart, making a final check on his cargo to see if he's missing anything. He wears a bandana to cover his head but I could see strains of brown hair peaking out of it. He seem to notice me approaching and wave at me. His deep blue eyes meet my crystal blue ones.

"Heya kiddo," he greeted me cheerfully, completely ignorant of my plight and the possible threat of a bandit raid. Well, he'll learn soon enough, might as well keep it to myself for now, no need to cause a panic.

"Hello Mister Lassois." I greeted back politely.

"Eh, don't call me Mister, it makes me feel old." he let out a hearty laugh as he slaps my back once I got close enough. "Well, looks like the last passenger's here. Get on the chart while I do some final check on my cargo will ya kid?" he told me as he check on his cargo.

Instead of climbing into his chart I walk to the front and stop next to the horse. The huge creature lazily turn it's gaze at me before turning back to the front, obviously saying that I'm not worthy of it's attention.

"So we've met again Butt Stallion." I narrowed my eyes at the large brown mare. I heard it blowing air through it's mouth. Oh well, guess that's the only response I could get from it. I slowly reach my hand out to while tiptoeing in order to pet it's head. Maybe today is the day I would get over my hatred for horses that I somehow acquire when I was only two.

The horse instantly bit my hand lightly, it's tongue licking all over my hand while it's still in it's mouth. I swear I could see it smirking at me as it let go.

Okay, I stand corrected. Today is not the day I would get over my hatred of horses. Curse you Butt Stallion. You may have won today, but I assure you. I will manage to pet you one day without you biting my hand.

"Hey kid, get on so we can leave already. The sooner we leave the sooner we arrive there." he told me as he climb onto the driver's seat of the chart.

I quickly gave the horse one last glare, it ignored it so I pouted and quickly ran to the chart and climbed on board. Inside the cart was filled with stuff which I won't disclosed, mainly because I have no idea what they are called so yeah….let's just call them cargo. In the middle of the cargo, a wide clear space was clearly left for two people to sit in and Elena was already there, looking annoyed at me for some reason.

"Why are you so slow." she complained. "I knew I should have dragged you here."

"Sorry." I apologized sheepishly while rubbing the back of my neck, trying to force myself to sound cheerful as I step around the cargo to sit next to her. Evidently it failed because Elena dropped her angered look and started looking worried at me.

"Alex, what's wrong? You look sick." she asked in concern as she crawl closer to me on all fours, her face just in front of mine as she place a hand on my forehead.

"Everything's fine Elena." I strained a smile at her. Heck it didn't fool her one bit as she still looked concerned for me but nodded regardless and remove her hand from my forehead and sat back down.

"Alright kiddos, we're going." The man in front of us called out before pulling the reins. We could feel the horse doing it's job and our bodies jerked to the side as the cart suddenly moved. Soon, we could hear the sound of Butt Stallion's hooves trotting against the dirt as it continue to drag the cart with it.

A large shadow suddenly loom over us and I look up into the sky, seeing a perfectly large cloud just blocking the sun. I narrowed my eyes at it, my mind drifting back to what I saw today.

A floating orb of light and a possible bandit scout.

Why do I get the feeling that shit's about to hit the fan….

Screw it, I'm going to hug something moe to keep my mind occupied, possibly Jeanne. But for now I'm going to sleep. I flop down onto my back and close my eyes, ignoring the gaze of my companion who still has a worried look on her face.

I could only pray, pray that nothing bad happens. But somehow…. I just have the feeling that my prayer wouldn't be answered. Oh well, it didn't really matter since I'm an atheist at heart.

 **AN: And done, hope you enjoy. Remember to leave a review. Now I'm going to go back to dying in Dark Souls. The next chapter might come out sooner or later, I don't really know. Ta ta.**


	4. -and on

**AN: Hope you enjoy reading this. Btw, Jeanne's in this chapter. Hope I didn't mess it up.**

 **Reviews answering section:**

 **Kinunatzs – I'll work on that then and no, not yet sorry to get you all excited.**

 **Gawain-Knight of the Sun – Of course he would if he became an assassin. It's like the most basic weapon you must have for those that have played the Assassin's Creed franchise.**

 **Judgment of the Arbiter – Oh really? *wags eyebrow* Or maybe it's the cat that's actually a magus in disguise. We'll never know until then.**

 **GreyMan19 – Whose mum's choice in pairing? Anyway, we'll never know until then.**

 **Victory3114 – You're the second person to think that the ball of light is the counter force, wonder why though. Anyway, we get Jeanne in this chapter so I hope it lives up to expectations.**

 **King Keith – Congratulations, you're the second person to have made such a detailed review (talking about the last one) in all my fics *Applaud with vigor* Yeah, this chapter is the calm before the storm.**

 **Aurain Orimura – Mind telling me the clichés so that I won't accidentally use them?**

 **Polymon – Dark Souls FTW. It was actually the game that made me started writing in the first place.**

 **Chapter 4: -and on.**

" **Whoever wrote that on this rock is a very immature person but that just goes to prove that our ancestors aren't so different than us. They like to fool around just for laughs and this here kind of proves it."**

" **Well, with this level of immaturity one might think it would a child who wrote it but I really doubt that because the words are too neat for any children and I doubt they would be able to use a nail properly to hammer out the words. Only adults who were nobles or those who had the time and money to learn how to read and write back then were the only ones who could do it."**

" **There's even a drawing on the back that was recently discovered when** **someone noticed something underneath the moss that had grown over it. W** **e finally decided to** **risk** **clean** **ing** **the moss off the back on two thousand six and** **the drawing** **slowly became an internet meme."**

 **-Henri Loyrette** **(2011)** **,** **director of the Louvre Museum,** **talking about the rock found in the forest near the birth place of Joan of Arc.**

 **-0-**

The clouds in the sky slowly dispersed, showing the sun that was once hidden behind them. The sun, now free to shine it's radiance upon the earth, did it's job dutifully. It's light stretch out to the horizon, shining upon all forms of life on the planet, kingdoms, towns, villages, mating animals out in the field and most importantly, a certain wooden cart that's being drag by a wonderful steed called Butt Stallion. And napping in said cart were two kids, one of which is about to have a rude wake up call once the clouds fully parted and the sun's light reach his face.

 **-** **0-**

I was rudely woken up from my nap because I feel the heat rising on my face. I could feel the slight jerking of the cart as it was pull forward because of Butt Stallion. I pried my eyes open and the first thing I saw was the sun. Needless to say I got blinded again. The beam of light immediately assaulted my eyes with vigor the moment my eyelids stopped protecting my eyeballs.

Biting back a curse, my first instinct was to block it offending light with my hands. Oddly enough only my right hand came to my rescue while my left hand remained unresponsive. I could feel an unfamiliar weight pressing against it, keeping it in place.

I squint my eyes and crank my head to the side to see why my left arm chose not to come to my rescue, my neck made a satisfying crack as I did so. The moment my face turn to the side, it was attacked by an unknown assailant. I flinched the instant I feel something spiky stabbed into my face and quickly reel back me head in blind panic.

I blinked confusingly at the sight of my assailant, a tuft of spiky red hair. Then my mind finally rebooted from it's sleepy state and I realised what this means.

I narrowed my eyes at my childhood friend who's currently using my arm as a body pillow, her back was pressed against my side and her head was resting on my shoulder, both her arms and legs were latched on to my arm tightly like a koala. I could see her snoring away with a small smile on her face as she mumble something in her sleep.

 _'Why do I feel something wet on my shoulder?'_ I thought to myself as I lean over to see the source. There was a trail of saliva from her mouth that's currently leading towards my tunic, effectively wetting it and making me feel uncomfortable.

…..oh well, at least it's not snot.

A sudden gust of wind blew pass us and she sneezed. She reach out to grab the nearest cloth, a.k.a my sleeves, and used it to wipe her nose before going back to sleep while pulling my arm closer to her body and latching it in place with her legs.

I just had to jinx it didn't I.

I pushed Elena over gently so that I she's no longer resting on my shoulder which by the way, felt numb, and tried to remove my arm from her grasp but the movement only cause her to grab on to me tighter.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to get out of this without something to distract her. I use my remaining hand to push my body up slightly but only my right side moved up because my left is currently unavailable. My eyes dart from side to side to look around in the cart for anything I could use to get me out of her death grip. My body jerked to the side a bit because it was getting bumpy in the cart and I assume that there are some holes on the dirt road. Thankfully, the crates of cargo was tightly secured and didn't fell, otherwise we just might be buried in them.

I felt my right hand touched something soft as I shift it around to find anything to use, feeling curious I turn my head towards it and saw a feather, where it came from I would never know but hey, it's a feather, maybe a bird dropped it when it flew pass us. Thankfully it's not bird po-

Hold that thought! I'm not jinxing myself again. My head snap upwards to scan for any birds passing by just in case, once I'm satisfied that there are none that's just waiting to drop it's bomb on me, I turn my attention back to the feather.

I mentally kick started the planning machine in my mind, the mental image of an office with miniature and cibified me's napping on their desks were jolt awake and started panicking and rush back to work. Sadly, accident occurred and one of them got fired because he dropped important files, causing me to lose some important prank plans. He was begging me not to because he has a wife and children but an example must be made and so with a heavy heart, he was jettisoned out of the workspace and into the abyss filled with all the horrible stuff that was stored in my mind.

Soon enough I have a plan, a very simple one but it's a plan nonetheless. Grabbing the feather by it's quill, I slowly place it in front of Elena's nose. With a shit eating grin on my face, I begin tickling her with it. Elena's face scrunch up in annoyance as the feather lightly brush against her nose. Soon she couldn't stand it and let go of my arm to swipe at the thing tickling her nose, giving me the space needed to move my arm away.

But I had forgotten about her legs and couldn't dislodge it from my arm fast enough before Elena moves her hand back to grab on to my arm again, yanking me back down. My eye twitched in annoyance before I start searching for anything that I could use as a substitute body pillow for Elena to hug with.

The cart jerked again, this time hard enough for something that was placed on top of one of the crates to roll off. It continue to roll until it's just close enough for me to grab. I blink as I study said object before grinning widely. I found the perfect substitute, a roll of soft cloth, just long and thick enough to be mistaken as an arm.

And so I repeated the tickling but with the roll of cloth by my side in preparation for the good old switcheroo. I'm going to switch my arm with the cloth like a ninja. Hopefully I would be fast enough to pull it off.

Once Elena got annoyed with the thing brushing against her nose she move to swat it away and I took my chance and remove my arm, this time sliding it out of her legs and quickly grab on to the roll of cloth by my side and move to place it where my arm used to be.

I failed.

When I was about to place the roll of cloth Elena's arms sudden shot out and wrap around my neck. She yanked me back down and now our cheeks are squishing against each other. She snuggle against me, seemingly content with her new found body pillow while I'm stuck in an uncomfortable position. Anime…..you have lied to me again. It looked so much easier than it should be.

My many attempts to remove myself from her adorable hug of death has failed spectacularly, my plead for help to the driver were ignored because he didn't want to be the one in my position if he tried to save me. But I could see his shoulders shaking with mirth, traitor. He did tell me that we were almost there so if I could just hang on for a bit I should be fine.

Welp, looks like I'm stuck in this position. Elena doesn't seem to be waking up anytime soon so I guess I should start plotting my revenge I could pull in the future and- Wait a minute, is she…? Oh god she is! She's starting to drool again! Right on my face too!

This is going to be a long ride, I just know it.

 **-0-**

I peer over the cart, careful to only get my eyes over the wooden frame so that the rest of my head and body was hidden behind it. I spy a certain house in the distance, slowly closing in. With the pace that we're currently going with and Butt Stallion's mood I estimated that it may take a few more minutes before we arrived at our destination but since I'm bad at math and calculating shit, I could be wrong. I need a calculator if I want to get it right, you know, the one with graphs and shit. Then again, I've never really paid any attention in class so I wouldn't really know how to use it in the first place. My eyes narrowed as I try to see if there's anyone waiting right outside but couldn't really see that far.

Just in case you wanted to know, Elena's right next to me doing the exact same thing. She woke up a few minutes ago and released me from her death grip. In hindsight, I could have just woke her up instead of suffering through all that.

Damn it brain, why can't you think of that earlier!?

" _Sorry."_ the miniature me's chorus in the back of my head. I'm kidding, they aren't real, I'm just keeping my mind occupied with random thoughts.

" _What!? But we're right here! What the!? ARGHHHHH!"_

Let's just ignore the scream of the damned as I remove all traces of their existence from my mind shall we?

Anyway we're on a look out for anything that resembles kids. Because they would usually come out of their house and wait outside in their porch whenever Mr. Lassois came by. Main reason being me and Jeanne would always hitchhike on his cart just to play with them. I dread to imagine what they would feel and what kind of disappointed faces they would make when Mr. Lassois has to tell them that we weren't coming whenever we couldn't make it.

I heard Elena let out a yawn and I turn my head slightly and saw her placing a hand over her mouth as she tries to contain her yawn. She's probably still groggy after waking up. Her yawn was contagious as I suddenly let out a yawn of my own and in turn making Mr. Lassois yawn himself and causing Elena to giggle at the chain reaction that she caused. Butt Stallion was fine though, she just neighed in what I assumed to be amusement.

"Alex look!" Elena suddenly whispers excitedly while pointing at the house. My head quickly snap to the direction Elena was pointing and I saw three small figures walking out to the porch.

"Quick, hide." I whispered frantically as I duck my head under the side of the cart, hiding me from view, Elena soon followed but I saw her hair poking over the wooden side of the cart and is visible for those who paid attention. The disadvantages of spiky hair I suppose. Then my eyes widen as I remembered that my hair was spiky too and my eyes quickly dart up to check and saw mine sticking out.

I turn my attention back to Elena and saw her grinning happily as she waits for the cart to arrive so that she could surprise the ones that came out of the house, all while completely unaware of her hair giving out her position and so I prod her shoulder to get her attention. She look at me with a raise eyebrow and I point at the top of my head and then at hers. Her line of sight follows and she saw my hair poking out and tried to suppress a giggle, causing me to frown as she didn't get what I was hinting.

I tried the same gesture again and this time she got curious enough to move her hand to her head. Once she felt her spiky hair her eyes widen when she realised that her hair standing up too. She quickly push it down and I did the same. We both look at each other before we started snickering childishly at how funny it was.

Soon we quiet down as soon as we heard the voices of children talking excitedly when the cart got closer and I saw Elena place a hand over her mouth to keep herself quiet. We didn't want to give ourselves away to them yet after all.

Soon, we heard Butt Stallion neighing as Mr. Lassois pulled the reins for her to stop, signaling that we've arrived at our destination. He turned around to see what we were doing and I quickly put a finger over my mouth and Elena was copying me and we both beamed at him, asking him not to reveal our position.

He rolled his eyes with an amused smile and hopped off the drivers seat, I could hear his feet landing on the ground before he started walking towards the cart and peer inside it. Me and Elena both look up and we saw him placing a finger on his mouth too.

Then I could hear the sound of footsteps tapping against the dirt road in a brisk pace and it was slowly getting closer. Judging by the number of footsteps that I've heard, it's most likely only two people coming our way. One of the three figure that we saw was most likely waiting on the porch.

""Uncle Durand!"" I heard two excited childlike voices shout out. Males, if the tone of their voices is anything to go by.

"Hey ya kiddos." I heard Mr. Lassois call out to them happily. "Oof, woah there. You kids are getting bigger and bigger each day." he laughed and I assumed that he had been jumped at by the two boys.

"Are they here?""Did they come?" I heard the two energetic boys ask at the same time. There was a slight tapping sounds, like something hitting the dirt so I'm guess that one or both of them was hopping in place in either excitement or anticipation.

"Aww, what about me?" Mr. Lassois whined in a mock hurt tone. "You kids aren't going to treat me like chopped liver because of those two are you? Because if you are then I won't bring them here anymore." Mr. Lassois huffed childishly, causing the two boys to panic.

""Noooooo!"" their terrified cries were shouted in sync.

"Please don't!" I heard one of them say.

"We'll pay more attention to you next time you come over so please don't." I heard the other pleaded.

"Oh okay, I forgive you two." the smugness from Mr. Lassois' reply is palpable and I thought I was suppose to be the childish one.

One of the boys finally noticed that there are no signs of the ones that they were expecting and spoke up. "They didn't come?" I could hear the disappointment and sadness in his voice. If I were to take a peak I'm guessing that I would see two sad looking kids.

I signal to Elena to get ready and we both spring out of the cart and landed on the ground dramatically. "Pierre! Jean!" I shouted as soon as I landed and I saw them perk up immediately.

"Hello." Elena greeted them happily with a quick wave.

In front of us was two boys, both taller than me and Elena because they're older than us. One of them is a year older than the other. On the left is Pierre, currently six and is the older one and is taller and me, Elena and his brother next to him. He's hair is blond like Jeanne and his mum and it's short and wavy while his eyes were brown like his father. He's donning a light brown sleeveless tunic, brown trousers that had a hole on the left knee and shoes, let not forget about them shoes. No idea what they were called because they look like cloth that's for covering the feet sewed onto a sole and some leather strips to keep the shoe in place. Like I said, no idea what it's called.

On to the right is a shorter boy called Jean and as you could have guessed, he's the younger one and is slightly taller than me. His hair is different than his brother though because it's a deep shade of brown and his eyes were amethyst like his sister but deeper in shade. He's wearing a passed down brown tunic that once belonged to the eldest of the family, white-ish trousers and again, shoes, because that's what I'm going to call them from now on. Shoes.

Seriously though, the common shoes in the fifteen century are seriously ugly and in won't do much to protect your feet unlike boots and other stuff. And if you're poor then you have to go barefoot for the rest of your days. Maybe I could change that and became a shoemaker when I'm older. I wonder how people would react to shoes from my era. Then again, I have no bloody clue how shoes are made so maybe I'll pass on the designs to real shoemakers instead.

Anyho, these two are the sons of the d'Arc family. They would sometimes be called to help out in the farm but was mostly given the freedom to play on their own. Well, there's also Jacquemin but he's usually helping out in the farm since he's the eldest and would join us once his chores are done. He's blond too by the way and with brown eyes.

"Alex, Elena." Pierre blurted out to us happily while Jean had already moved from his position and ran over towards me shouting my name. He didn't manged to stop in time or rather, he didn't even try to stop and crashed into me, causing both of us to collapse onto the ground with a thud and burst into a laughing mess while wrestling each other.

Elena rolled her eyes at our antics before leaping herself and landed on top of both of us, joining us in our fun. Soon the tangled mess of laughing bodies finally ran out of breath and got off each other just to lay there on the ground, feeling tired. Mr. Lassois was laughing at the sight of three kids wrestling each other on the ground.

Pierre just watched on and resisted the urge to join in because he claimed that he's a big boy not long ago and doesn't play kiddy games like us. You can clearly see the suffering that he's putting himself through by how tightly he's clenching his fist and how hard he's trying to look nonchalant about it. No worries, he will break down and join us eventually.

Just before he could speak up he was interrupted when we all heard someone running towards us with soft pattering steps and he turn to see who it was. I lift my head up to see who it was and lo and behold, the Heroine of this era, Jeanne d'Arc, who got tired of waiting on the porch and finally decided to join us instead of just waiting for us to arrive.

"Jeanne, I told you to wait at the porch." Pierre, place both his hands over his mouth and shouted because we're a good distance away from her. Looks like Mr. Lassois stopped quite far away from the house this time.

"Dun wanna." we all heard her shout back as she continue to run.

She is currently two years old in case anyone's wondering and she still has a little bit of baby fat left on her cheeks. Her smooth blond hair was kept short just touching her shoulder and her amethyst eyes were sparking with excitement as she ran towards us. She's currently wearing a purple gown with long sleeves that seemed a bit big for her and again, shoes.

Fucking need a name for those things. Sneaker? Cloth wrapper? Sandals?

Jeanne was smiling widely at the sight of us laying on the ground, she was holding on to her gown's skirt because it's too long and would get in her way. She ran towards us as fast as her little legs could carry her and I could see that she completely neglected the back of her hem and it's catching dirt while it's being dragged along the ground. I could imagine her mother being cross with her for getting it so dirty but would ultimately forgive her in the end because who could stay mad at the adorable face that she makes whenever she's about to cry.

But considering that she's just a wee little lass, it would take longer for her to reach us than her brothers and she seem to finally realise that too because her cute smile suddenly turn into a cute pout as she tries her best to close the distance, visibly putting in more effort. She suddenly stopped when she's halfway there and she let go of her hem to place both her hands on her knees. She took a few deep breaths before continuing on her path and the pattering sound of her footsteps continued.

After witnessing such a scene I couldn't help but feel bad that we're making her run all this way to us and so I quickly got up and tried to lessen the distance for her but before I could even take a step, I got ran over by a red blur that appeared out of nowhere. Leaving me back on the ground, flattened and with footprints on my back.

"Jeanne~" I heard Elena cried out with a squeal.

"Lena~." Jeanne called out happily.

I slowly push myself off the ground, feeling slightly annoyed and sore from Elena's tramping and the sudden flattening. I look up to see what the two ladies were doing and I saw Elena pulling Jeanne into a hug, leaning over a bit and squishing her cheek against hers. Jeanne was trying to pull away but she was simply too small and weak to escape and could only take Elena's greeting like a champ.

When I blinked, they somehow managed to break one of the laws of reality with their cuteness and chibified themselves while generating sparkles all around them. It was enough to make those who were watching go 'D'awwww' at the sight of the two small adorable girls hugging each other.

They looked so cute that they would be able to melt everyone's problems away with just the sheer amount of moe emitting from them. It kinda makes me feel like I've forgotten something though…. Why do I feel like I've forgetting what that set me in a bad mood earlier? Hmm...oh wow, guess watching cute things really does make you forget your problems.

Mr. Lassois suddenly complained about being ignored but the boys plus me completely ignored him because we're too busy fighting the urge to glomp at the two girls. He then started walking towards the house while telling us not to get lost while playing. Apparently, the adults trust us enough to leave us be as long as we return before sunset.

You would think that I'm rather okay with those two turning into chibis but that's not true. When I first witnessed the chibification of those two I was like...I really don't have a word for it yet but it was a very roughly blended mixture of shocked, amused, horrified and I think I was struggling to stop myself from cuddling them. So….Shmurriling then? That sounded weird. I just basically mashed up the words that I've just listed. Note to self, don't ever try to invent new words on my own. Proceeding to delete word from vocabulary list.

Anyway, I just rolled with it as something people in the fifteen century knows and the sacred art of chibification has been lost throughout the ages. I even tried to recreate that chibification effect for myself last time and I got very mixed results. Needless to say, it wasn't fun fending off shotacons.

"So what are we going to do today?" Jean asked me and Pierre all of the sudden as he offered his hand for me to pull myself up with. I took his hand and got up with ease.

"I dunno, I haven't thought that far yet." Pierre shrugged.

"Same here." I replied.

"Do any of you want to ask the girls?" Pierre suggested and both me and Jean quickly shook our heads. Last time we asked the girls what they wanted to do, we were forced to play house. I had to pretend to be a dog and let them pet me and that's not the worst part. Hell, Elena wanted to stick a rag of cloth in my butt and ask me to pretend it's a tail. Oddly enough, Jeanne thought it would be fun too and tired to help.

Jacquemin, who at that time was the Grandmother and is wearing an oversized gown that was thrown away because it's unrepairable that we found and some long grass that we shaped into a wig, thought that he shouldn't be the only one to suffer and pinned me down.

Jean, who was pretending to be the baby and was forced to strip and only wear a cloth to cover his privates decided that it was unfair that I get to keep my clothes on, helped pull my pants down.

Pierre was pretending to be the table to put the cups and teapot on thought it would be funny to watch and kept help Jacquemin to keep me from struggling. In the end they won and Elena managed to stab the rag into my butt.

My arse has never felt so betrayed before.

"Never again." I murmured with fear in my voice, the other boys couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Is Jacquemin going to join us later?" I asked both of them after shaking off the memory.

"Later, he needs to milk the cows first." Pierre answered.

"But we've already finished our chores so we get to play first." Jean said with a wide smile, probably thinking of all the things he could do now that he's free.

"Well, now it only leaves us with what to do." I wondered out loud, my gaze turning to the two ladies who were still hugging each other before switching back to the two boys.

"How about a race?" I suggested but they both shook their head.

"We did that yesterday." Pierre replied "And you keep cheating by throwing things at our feet." he narrowed his eyes at me. Ah yes, I do recall throwing something slippery at him that caused him to do a magnificent split.

"Oh, how about tree climbing." Jean suggested eagerly. "We still haven't found out who's the fastest yet." he was excited at the prospect of finding out who's the fastest tree climber.

"Didn't you fall off the tree last time?" I said as I recall the event of the last tree climbing race.

"Says the one who made me fall in the first place." Jean rolled his eyes.

"Hey! What did I do?" I grumbled unhappily at his accusation because I don't remember ever doing anything to make him fall. I really don't like being accused of doing things that I didn't do. If it was something I actually did then I would admit it.

"You let out a fart while I was climbing behind you." Jean said with a huff.

Oh, so that's why. "It's a normal thing to fart!" I claimed heatedly as I turn my face away to hide my smirk.

"But why did you wait until I'm right behind you!?"

"Because it's funny." I turn back to face him and replied with a deadpanned.

"Alex." Pierre sounded unamused by my answer if the facepalm he did was any indication. I was about to reply when I heard someone trying and failing horribly to sneak up behind me. The crunching of the dirt was very clearly heard even by Pierre and Jean but they both didn't point it out but rather, they were eyeing me, silently telling me to go along with it. Because of that, it didn't take me long to figure out who it was that was closing in on me.

I took a deep breath and relaxed my body, silently preparing for the inevitable crash that I'm about to feel. Looks like I'm kissing the ground again. Resigning to my fate, I look at the two boys and mouthed 'Why me?'

I never saw their reply as I felt something small ram into my back, it was very weak and didn't have enough strength to even stagger me but I pretended to fall nonetheless. By pretend I actually mean falling onto the ground like a ragdoll with it's strings cut from the force and slammed my face into the dirt. I need to make it look real after all, she is somehow really good at telling if someone's pretending or lying and I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad.

I heard the soft laughter of a child and a small figure resting on my back as I contemplate whether or not I should pretend to be out cold while I'm at it.

"Lexie~" I heard her call me as I felt her rub her cheek against my back. I wanted to tell her not to call me that but I couldn't bring myself to because she's too cute and could only sulk about it.

"Jeanne, get off me please." I asked politely with a groan. Maybe I should teach her how to properly greet people instead of ramming into them like Elena. She's seriously bad influence for her...hold on, I'm the one who made Elena that way because she keeps following my example. Shit, I knew it would bite me in the ass one day.

I felt the weight on my back lift and saw her land beside me. I spun around slowly, careful not to bump into her and lift my torso up while using my hands as a leverage. Blue eyes meet amethyst ones and we both smiled.

"How are you today." I asked as I plant a hand on her head, ruffling it with vigor and causing her to squirm under my touch happily. I briefly ignore Elena ramming into Jean and Pierre into the ground at the corner of my eye.

"'am al lite." Jeanne said, testing her tongue in order to get the right word.

"It's pronounced as 'all right' Jeanne." I smiled softly at her attempt of speaking properly as I adjust my self into a cross leg position while facing Jeanne. I also pretend not to notice the cries for help that Pierre and Jean were shouting out while Elena has headlocked them both in both her arms all while laughing maniacally.

Jeanne tilt her head to the side questioningly with a confused look on her face as she sat on her knees in front of me. "All vight?" she asked before blinking and looking at me for confirmation.

I let out a small chuckle and shook my head slightly. "No, it's 'All right', 'Rrr' not 'Vrr'. 'Rrrr'." I told her as I lightly poke her forehead. She scrunch her face in annoyance as she swat my finger away and rub the spot that I've poked.

"Rrrraight." She copied what I said as she tilt her head to the other side and I had to suppress a snicker because of how adorable she sounded right now.

"Eh, close enough. Good job Jeanne." I praise her as I ruffle her hair again, causing her to laugh as she tries to remove my hand from her head. I read somewhere in the net that praising kids would raise their confidence in the long run. She would need it considering what she has to do in the future. But I have remember not to praise her too much other she might become spoiled.

That's my plan that I have for now, it's temporary and not very effective but it's the only thing I can do in a four year old body. Shower her with love and care whenever you can because in the end she would receive nothing but scorn and hate during her last moment and I might not be there to comfort her during her end.

….I'm still not sure how to feel about how her own people are going to burn her at stake here. It's painful, always hiding the sadness that I feel whenever I thought about her fate. A wee little girl, who had lived a peaceful life, treading through battlefields with people dying left and right all because she was shown the future of peace she would achieve if she did.

But I've gotten very good at hiding negative emotions from people, I have been doing it even since I was born in this world after all. It's almost like...putting on a mask. Tch, humans. They're mostly the same no matter what era you're in. Always so afraid of the unknown and their first reaction is to hate it.

I turn my head around to see what the others were doing. Elena had already let go of both of them and they were discussing animatedly about what to do next. I return my attention to the blond in front of me before asking. "Do you want to join them?" I asked, pointing at the three. Jeanne nodded and I push myself up.

I was about to head over there when I saw Jeanne extending her arms towards me. I raise my eyebrow curiously at her action and she pull her arms back and extend them again while pouting. What's this gesture suppose to mean again? Oh yeah, 'Carry me.'

I cross my arms and look at her disappointingly. She's a bit too big for me to carry now and I think it would just spoil her more. I narrowed my eyes at the girl while she keep her arms up.

Well….it has been a while since I last carried her. Surely it wouldn't be that bad if I give her one last ride right? It really has nothing to do with her eyes getting watery while her mouth was pursed into a thin line and quivering. Honest.

"All right already but this is the last time. Okay?" I look at her, mustering up my most stern-ish look as I could. Evidently, I failed because she just laughed at the face that I'm making.

"Kay~" she replied happily as she stick her arms out again, eagerly waiting for me to pick her up. With a sigh, I move closer and bend down. I wrap my arms around her side while she latch onto my neck like a magnet.

It took all my strength to get her up and I had to take a few steps back to balance the weight of the girl in my arms. Her legs were dangling in the air as she continue to laugh while in my arms. Wow, she's already the same height as my chest. She's growing fast.

Oof, she's heavy….or maybe I'm just that weak. I seriously need to stop lazing around if that's the case. With heavy steps I slowly move towards the bickering kids and silently prayed that I won't drop Jeanne on her head and fuck up the future because she became retarded.

Once we're there I couldn't hold on anymore and let go, sadly Jeanne didn't like the idea of getting down and kept her arm locked in place and remained danging from my neck. The trio stopped their bickering just long enough to notice me and Jeanne coming to their side.

"Jeanne. Please let go, I'm not strong enough to carry you like I used to anymore." I whined as I felt the weight of her entire body dragging my neck down.

"No." she whined childishly as she kick her legs in the air.

"Come on Jeanne, be a good girl now." I saw Elena come over and told her, sounding rather jovial at my situation. "You don't want Lexie to start hating you do you?" I could see her trying to hide her grin but failing.

What's with people and nicknames anyway.

I could feel Jeanne flinching and I look down to see her looking up at me sadly almost as if she's silently asking 'Do you hate me?' before she nodded. "Kay." she murmured softly, sounding sad that her usual method of transportation in the past is no longer available for her before dislodging from my neck and landed on the ground. I gently pat her on her head to keep her from feeling too sad.

"Oh, don't feel sad sis. Maybe we can play a game to cheer you up." Jean suggested and everyone's eyes snap towards him. "You can choose what to play if you want." he continued, completely missing the exaggerated shaking of me and Pierre's head and the wide grin of Elena's.

Jeanne perked up, her eyes widen considerably and they seem to be shining in excitement while asked in the most adorable voice possible. "Really?"

Jean flinched as he finally realised what asking the girls what to play would entail but he couldn't just take back his words right after saying them, especially when Jeanne seem to be so happy that she gets to choose. And so Jean was left with no choice but to say yes. "O-of course you can." he smiled and Elena's grin widen. Pierre and me just let out a defeated sigh internally.

"I wanna be a prinzess." she shot her hands into the air and wave them around for emphasis as she smile happily at us.

Ah, so she wanted to play pretend eh? Being a princess I see, a common choice for any little girl. Hmm, I could make a crown out of the vines on the trees if that's the case.

Pierre scratch the back of his head as he thought about it. Eventually he shrugged. "Why not? I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Let's go find something to make a crown with then." Jean suggested before he look at me. "Alex, you could make one right? You're always making strange things for pranking people."

"Sure I can. I just need some vines." I answered and I felt someone hug my leg practically squealing in excitement as she hop in place. I didn't dare look down or I would be faced with her cuteness.

"Oh oh. I know where to find them. Follow me!" Elena shouted as she dash towards the open field. Jeanne quickly let go of my leg and lift her skirt up before running off to follow her. Pierre quickly followed because he's worried that Jeanne would trip and fall while Jean had already gone off with Elena.

Ah~, kids. They can be so childish sometimes.

 **-0-**

"Bow before me foolish mortals, for I am the great Demon Lord of the Cookie Kingdom, the great Nom Nom. You can never defeat me with your puny swords skills." I demanded haughtily as I look down upon the fallen forms of the heroes that have tried to defeat me while pointing my wooden sword at them.

I'm a hypocrite, sue me.

I'm currently wearing a malevolent looking crown that I've made from vines, twigs and rags and a torn cloth that acts as a cape fluttering behind me.

Pierre and Jean were down on the grass, moaning and writhing in pain. They were holding on to wooden swords that we've made or rather, the swords were on the ground because they were clutching on their groins.

"You cheated." Pierre moaned out between breaths.

"Of course I cheated. I'm a villain. What was I suppose to do? Fight fairly?" I let out a huff at them as I turn my head to the side before turning back to face them, dramatically of course. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The two heroes that have came so far and sacrificed so much just to reach my castle (Read: open field) only to be defeated so easily."

"How are you suppose to rescue the beautiful Princess and her handmaid if you can't even defeat me oh mighty heroes." I taunted as I move to the side to show Elena and Jeanne sitting under the tree behind me. The shade was keeping the sun off them and Elena was braiding Jeanne's hair, thought it was short so she could only braid the back of her hair while the rest was left loose.

Jeanne had a lovely looking crown made from veins and some flowers to decorate it and is watching our so call fighting with excitement. Elena was whistling a tune as she continue to braid her hair, already bored of our play and keeping herself occupied with the girl in front of her.

Anyway, I had no idea how a simple play pretend where we all treat Jeanne as a Princess and do her every bidding turned into me being the Demon Lord that have kidnapped the princess and her handmaid while Pierre and Jean would act as the heroes to save them. They all thought that I would be a great Villain because of my personality and plus, I'm great at playing as the bad guy. Well, I proved them right and I might have gone a bit overboard with the acting.

Anyway, the two boys were so mad or annoyed that they didn't even question why a four year old has such a large vocabulary. Hah!

"We will get our revenge for this." Jean shouted as he slowly pull himself up.

"Oh please, revenge is for the baddies. You're suppose to be a hero, try setting a better example for the kids will ya?" I wave him off nonchalantly. "Anyway, since I won and all. I guess Jeanne's mine now and I shall build an army of cookiemen to take over the world." I laughed evilly with my hands placed on my side. Suddenly, my laughter was stopped when I felt something whack at the back of my head, causing me to fall onto the ground with a blooming headache coming from where I was struck. I could feel someone's hand brush against my hair as they grab on to the vine crown and remove it from my head.

"Mwahaha." I heard a female laugh mischievously. I don't need to be a genius to know who it was that had assaulted me. I curse myself for neglecting my surroundings as I was too deep into the act to notice someone sneaking up behind me.

I turn my head to the side and my eyes catch the sight of Elena putting on the crown on herself.

"The Demon Lord Nom Nom has fallen by my hands and now with his crown in my hands I shall take over his throne and rule the world." Elena announced loudly while grinning. She turn to face us, in her hand was a wooden branch that I presumed was the weapon that she used to attack me. "Now I, Demon Lord Elena, shall take the beautiful Princess away to my castle and take over the world with his cookie minions. Once we're done I shall eat them up because they take up too much space. Mwahahaha." Note to self, don't ever teach Jeanne how to be a villain because if this is the results of me teaching Elena then I don't want to know what would happen to Jeanne. I look back at the tree where Jeanne was and saw her cheering happily at the development.

… but I fear that it may already be too late.

"This is new." I said offhandedly. "Never heard of a handmaid usurping the throne before." I quickly push myself up and dust myself off. Pierre was amused at the development while Jean was question marks above his head.

"So...what now?" Jean asked in confusion, completely lost about in what's going on right now.

"Right now we find a way for me to get my crown back and stop her from eating my people!" I said in mock anger. "Enjoy your rule for now Demon Lord Elena for I will recover my crown and save my people from your hunger and these two heroes are going to help me!" I declared confidently as I point a finger at her while not feeling the confidence that I have in my tone because I have no idea how to win this time.

"Why do you even need our help? It's not like you can lose to a girl in a fight right?" Jean looked bewildered that I was suggesting that the three of us to gang up on Elena. "I'm sure you only need to hit her once to wi- OW!"

Jean was interrupted when I whack the back on his head with my hand. I look at him with an irritated expression before shouting "We're men! We don't hit women because it goes against our code of honour." I stated.

"I've never heard of something like that before." Pierre commented.

"Me neither." Elena quipped in amusement and I saw Jeanne tilt her head in confusion, not understanding what's going on anymore.

That's probably because I just made it up. Anyway, I whack Elena on the head lightly with my wooden sword right after she finish her sentence and took the crown back.

"I thought you said you don't hit women!" She snapped at me angrily as she rub the spot where I struck.

"Oh sorry, I forgot that you were one." I answered with a smirk. What I said must have irked her somehow and she dropped her branch and pounce at me with a yell. Before I could respond to her attack she rammed into me, causing me to drop my wooden sword and crown as I felt my feet being lift from the ground before we both landed and started wrestling on the there before rolling away.

"For my people and country!" I shouted.

"For free cookies!" Elena roared childishly.

"There they go again." Pierre said with a sigh.

"I wonder who will win this time?" Jean mused as he rubbed his chin.

Jeanne was looking at us with interest and worry. Her eyes dart between me and Elena constantly, unsure of what to do in this situation. Her eyes finally landed on to the wooden sword on the ground and they eyes widen as she thought of something before she nodded resolutely to herself, thinking that maybe she could use the sword to separate the two fighting kids.

She quickly grab on to it with her tiny hands and started running towards our direction, her feet was crunching against the grass as she lift the sword overhead. There was determination shining in her eyes as she approaches, she was determined to stop her friends' fighting as she didn't like seeing people hurt, just now when her brothers were fighting against me didn't count because she thought it was only a game. Sadly, she didn't know that this was a game too and me and Elena were only playing around and weren't really mad at each other.

She ran over to us but tripped on her skirt before she could get close, the sword flew from her hands as she fell. Elena and me heard her fell and quickly stop our wrestling. I was on top of her so I was the quickest to disengage from combat and shot up with panic evident on my face.

"Jean-" I was silenced mid-shout because I was shocked, so shocked at the fact that the wooden sword that slipped from her grasp managed to sailed in the air with such grace and speed that could only be achieved by the likes of someone that was skilled in the art of throwing swords. It flew fast and true, leaving behind a spinning mirage in it's wake, only for it to land on my family jewels dramatically.

Then I felt pain.

I could feel myself falling to the ground once again and at the corner of my eye I saw Elena getting up and heading towards Jeanne's location to help her while I cradle my future descendents. At least she managed to stop our fighting.

"Oh god, the pain." I moaned loudly.

"I would have felt sorry for you if you haven't did the same thing to me a few moments ago." Pierre said with a deadpan.

"I kinda think you deserve it." Jean shrugged with a smile.

"I know, I know. Sorry." I said apologetically as I roll over to my back once the pain subsided and sat up. My head turn to see how Jeanne's doing and I saw Elena wrap one arm around her while her other was petting her head. Jeanne was holding strong and not letting her tears flow, you couldn't tell that she was going to cry save for the quivering lips. Even at a distance away I could hear Elena whispering to her not to cry and be strong. Jeanne just nodded as she pump her fists under her chin before Elena pull her into a hug. Jeanne smiled as Elena continue to comfort her.

She's going to grow into a strong girl I just know it…. but at what cost?

 **-0-**

Being a kid is very inconvenient because of a lot of reasons. You're short, no one takes your seriously, you get bored easily..oh wait, that's just me. Anyway, you can't touch interesting things because the adults said that they're dangerous and your body doesn't have the stamina and energy of an adult. The last one is the most annoying but thankfully, we children have a way to counter it. We just need to find some nice shade and take a quick nap there and wake up a few minutes or hours later fully charged and ready to go again.

Like what I'm doing right now.

Actually, I woke up a few minutes ago but I'm pretending to be asleep even after I woke up because I was afraid of what kind of chaos I might wake up to. Last time I took a nap and woke up, I saw Elena commanding an army of farm animals while chasing the d'Arc brothers. The sheep ate their clothes and the dog was humping their legs and because of that, I'm really not looking forward to seeing what she might be up to once I opened my eyes. And thus, I kept them close for now. It's a totally reasonable and sane thing to do after all.

But eventually my curiosity won out and I slowly open my eyes to see what's going on. The first thing I saw was leaves and branches because I was laying against the tree that Jeanne and Elena was sitting under during the Demon Lord saga. After the wrestling I had with Elena, we continued the game and after a lot of random events, it somehow ended up as Jeanne being crowned as the Demon Lord and me along with the heroes ended up as her slaves and had to build a throne for her with what we could find while Elena became the captain of her army.

Again, I have no idea how it ended up like that. At least Jeanne was enjoying herself, even though she has absolutely no idea that she became the bad guy.

I look around to see where the others were but it didn't take long for me to locate them because they were playing on the open field of grass. Elena was decimating the boys in a sword fight with ease mainly because they weren't really trying to hit her at all but she didn't know that. Anyway, she was fighting unfairly like me when I'm outnumbered and is pushing the two boys back with gusto.

I have taught her well.

I tried to get up and maybe join them in their fun but couldn't as I finally notice an unfamiliar weight resting on my legs. Why do I get the feeling of déjà vu here.

I look down and a small figure with blond hair curling into a fetal position near my leg while resting her head on my lap. Jeanne was sleeping rather peacefully despite the uncomfortable looking position that she's in as she uses my leg as a pillow. Her breathing was slow and steady while her mouth was slightly part open and whenever exhaled there seem to be some sort of soft 'Fuu~' accompanying it. Thankfully, Jeanne doesn't drool like Elena does.

Feeling a bit mischievous, I decided to poke her nose to see her reaction. Jeanne's hand immediately tries to swipe at the thing that poked her nose, like a cat trying to paw at it's toy. Her peaceful sleeping face turned into a small frown as she scratch her nose before snuggling against my leg to sleep again.

I had to suppress a snicker at how cute she looked. Not having the heart to wake her up I let out a sigh as I look around for anything to do. Sadly, that plan failed because I could feel her stirring. Looks like my poking did more than I intended. Oops.

Jeanne slowly sat up with a yawn escaping her lips as she rub her eyes gingerly, her head drooping once in a while from her drowsiness. She look like she's debating whether or not she should wake up or head back to sleep. Eventually, she gives up at trying to stay awake and slump back down onto my lap and descend back into her peaceful slumber.

I look around to see what the others are up to now only to find that Elena was using Pierre as a horse and had found a very long branch to use as a lance. Jean found barrel lid to use as a shield and is using the wooden sword that he originally had to try and swipe at Elena without hitting his brother.

Ah, kids. Always so full of energy….that just made me feel old.

Having nothing better to do I turn my attention back to the sleeping form of the future Heroine. With an idea in mind, I place my hand on top of Jeanne's head and started massaging her scalp to see what would happen, kinda like how a person would do to a cat. A few moments of massaging and nothing has changed, Jeanne was still sleeping and I was beginning feel disappointed at the results.

But then, my ear caught the sound of something interesting and a smirk appeared on my face. There seem to be some purring emitting from her chest as I continue to massage her scalp. Jeanne had a small smile on her face as her purring increase in volume, seemingly content with the treatment that she's getting.

Now grinning at the sight, I stop massaging her head and lift my hand above it to see what would happen.

"Mugnya~" Jeanne let out in a rather discontented tone. Her hand reach out to her head and flail around to find something. Once her hand touched mine, she grab it and place it on top of her head before letting her hand slump back down. Feeling amused by her actions I decided to wait and see what's next.

After a moment of not doing anything Jeanne started moving around restlessly, letting out a dissatisfied huff as she did so. Feeling rather bad about what I did, I decided that I should stop being a meanie to her and restarted the massage. Not soon after, she started purring in absolute bliss and let loose a happy sigh.

Heh, this would beat petting a real cat any day. Beat that Sir Pounce-a-lot! You could never be this cute. Never I say!

My thoughts turn into a darker direction and a frown appeared on my face. My eyes never leaving the little girl's form that seem to be enjoying herself and I let out a sigh.

Here, on my lap is Joan of Arc, the future saint of French. Nothing more than a girl who didn't like watching others get hurt yet she will go charging into the war headfirst and keep bringing miracles to the masses and uplift their despair, all in the name of God. Yet, in the end she… Is there really no way to change that?

 **-0-**

I'm currently writing a message on a large rock using a small stone and a large sharp nail that I asked Elena to beg her father to make for her. Normally, a proper adult would question why a kid would need such a tool for but for Bob, the mighty puppy dog eyes was all it took for him to agree and Elena handed it to me after I traded two pieces of sweet bread for it.

Doing business with children is always easy.

It was after the trio was done playing and Jeanne woke up that we decided to go to the creek to play instead. There is one in the forest not far from their house and the d'Arc brothers have been there plenty of times so they claimed that it's safe. But, being a cautious one, I needed some sort of protection and I recalled the large nail that I had hid under one of the bushes near the porch of their house the last time I came over. I brought it with me just in case I need to impale some wild animal that thought us kids are a tasty threat.

Safe to say that there aren't any and I found this large rock instead and an idea struck. Pierre, Jean, Elena and Jeanne continue on to the creek because I said there's something I want to do first. Pierre, being the oldest one with us right now, was reluctant about leaving me alone in the forest. But seeing that the creek isn't really that far away from where I found the rock he thought it should be fine but warned me to be careful.

They are playing happily by the creek right now that I can tell because I could hear the happy laughter of children even from here. Hopefully the would remember not to get their clothes wet and only play at the part where the water would only reach your ankle because it would be bad to catch a cold.

Oh, who am I kidding, they would totally dive into the water and play. Hopefully they would remove their clothes first.

Anyway, what am I writing right now you ask?

Well, the message was written in big letters so that it would catch the attention of passerby and it reads: 'Hey you, your shoe's untied.' and once they looked to their feet and realised that the message lied to them. There's another message written at the bottom of the rock written in small letters so that they would read the big ones first. It reads 'Just kidding you faggot.' and it's written in English too so I don't have to worry about any of my people understanding it….unless the English came over and found this rock. Hopefully it doesn't spread rumours. Hmm, maybe I should draw an internet meme on the back of the rock, you know, for old times sake.

If you couldn't guess, this is my attempt to troll people in the future once they found this rock by accident or people in this era if they found it first. Because only trolling people in this era while I have knowledge of what would happen in the twenty first century is just plain lame.

Maybe I should stop twilight from being written while I'm at it because by the Gods, it's the most terrifying horror movie that I've ever seen. I had nightmares about sparking vampires trying to rape me after my sister from my past life force me to watch with her and she was even converted into a Twihard and her room was filled with posters and stuff. I could even hear her humping her man size pillow that night.

Thankfully, she got over her Twihard phase soon enough but at a cost of a new problem. She was introduced to Fifty Shades of Grey…. We had to raid her room for anything that resembles a bondage toy and we found a box full of them. I swear I don't even know what ninety percent of those things are used for and some even fucking vibrate.

Well, back to the present, I could write spoilers for movies, books and games but I'm not that cruel...but the idea of telling everyone in the future who were expecting Star Wars Episode Seven that Han Solo will- No Stop! Must! Resist! Temptation!

Hmm, I wonder how this would change the future? There's the butterfly effect to think about though. Uh oh…. I completely forgot about the butterfly effect. I guess I really didn't think this through before I started didn't I? Oh well, what done is done. I probably won't be alive to see the results anyway so fuck it. Onwards to draw the first ever internet meme in human history and hope that people in the future would think it's some sort of God that was prayed to in the past. History will be so screwed and no one can stop me! Mwahahaha.

The rustling of grass caught my attention and I my grip on the nail tightens. I just jinxed myself didn't I? Could it be a wild animal that caught my scent? Or was it attracted by the sound of the others. Either way, this is bad and I need to run and warn everyone about a potential predator lurking in the forest.

The rustling suddenly got closer to me and my body tensed, thinking that whatever it was, it has chosen me as it's target. The rustling increase in speed and decrease in distance. Whatever it is, it's running towards me right now! When I turn around to face my whatever is coming, I was immediately assaulted by a yellow blur. The force from the tackle wasn't even that strong and I could only blink in confusion as I look down to see my attacker.

Jeanne was there with her cheek pressed against my chest and her arms trying to wrap around me. I could see that the edges of her skirt were wet, most likely from playing in the water. Thankfully, only the edges was wet and not the entire skirt otherwise it would be very uncomfortable for her.

"Jeanne? What are you doing here." I blurt out in confusion.

Said just blinked before letting go of her hug and tilt her head at me. "Big brother brought food! Let's go eat." she announced ecstatically as she spun around in her spot.

Jacquemin? He's brought food? Oh, right lunch, I forgot about that. Time sure flies when you're having fun. He must have took another path to the river because I didn't see him walk by this one.

"Oh, are you here to fetch me?" I ask the obvious but I could be wrong. Jeanne nodded energetically at my question, the braid on the back of her head was swinging up and down along with her nod. Elena sure did a good job with it.

"I see." I answered as I rub my chin in thought with my eyes closed.

Hmm, I could go and eat with them right now but I'm not feeling hungry yet. I should finish doing what I was planning first then. I open my eyes and turn my attention to the blond in front of me only to find Jeanne was gone.

I quickly look around and I found her standing in front of the rock that I was busy engraving writings on. She seem to be studying the words on it with vast interest. Her little fingers were tracing one letter at a time while tiptoeing so that she could reach them.

"Wat this?" she ask with childlike curiosity, her mouth was slightly open in while her amethyst eyes were wide and sparkling with interest.

"It's 'What's this.' not 'Wat this." I corrected her before I look back at the rock. She never saw the alphabet before? Hmm, I don't recall my parents ever teaching me how to read in this era though, nor do I ever saw other children learning how to read and write. Reading and writing must have been something only the nobles could do.

"Those are called 'letters' Jeanne." I stood next to her as I watch the child trying her best understand what I just said. She turn to face me and with her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Leettaars?" she asked.

I let out a chuckle filled with mirth before I plant my hand on her head and ruffle her hair, causing her to squirm in place. "No, 'Letters'." I informed her. "They are used to form words. They can also be used to write stories for people to read." I stopped and let my arm drop. My eyes widen and a smile slowly crept onto my face as an idea slowly formed in my mind. I bend over slightly to face Jeanne so that our height would be the same and I smiled softly at her. "Jeanne, do you want to learn how to read and write?"

She just tilt her head at me and furrow her brows, unsure of what I was talking about. I gestured at the writing on the rock and her eyes follows. "Do you want to learn how to do this?" I ask again, hoping that she would understand what I was talking about.

Apparently she did because she started beaming in excitement as she nods at me, her little hands were curled up into tiny fists and placed under her chin as she did so.

Welp, looks like I'm going to have to learn how to read and write French now since I only know English. Maybe Miss Lalande could teach me if I asked nicely. She is the smartest person in the village after all. Surely she knows how to or maybe point me to someone who does.

"I'll teach you how one day but you have to wait okay?" I told her. I wonder how long it would take for me to learn French alphabet, hopefully it's not too different from English. I'm unsure how long it would take to learn it and I hope that it doesn't take too long because I don't want to keep Jeanne waiting.

She smiled at me happily as she nods, a pure and innocent smile. Oh my god, she's just so loveable. She just look like a little angel whenever she's like this. If people were nearby they would probably stop what they were doing just to coo at her. Wait! We could weaponize her smile and use it to stop all wars from even occurring. Why didn't I think of that in the first place!? Oh right, it's unrealistic.

"Alright then," I clapped my hands together to get her attention. "Why don't you go back to eat first, I'll join in later. Okay?" I ask her nicely. She pouted sadly at me, probably expecting me to come with her but nodded nonetheless and left skipping towards the river. I watch her leave, making sure that she didn't trip or go the wrong way before I turn my attention back to the stone.

Hmm…. Yep, just enough space to draw a dickbutt on the back. Time to get to work.

 **-0-**

Everyone was eating lunch by the creek. There were rocks neatly arranged into a circle that acts as chairs so that we would be facing each other while we talk and eat. Jacquemin was the one who had to arrange them because you know, he's the oldest in the group and also the strongest. From what I've heard, everyone else just sat on the sidelines and cheered him on while he had to move the rocks around. Not that I blame them of being lazy, I would totally to the same too if I were there.

Once I arrived there, they were already halfway through their food and the only free spot left to sit on was between Jean and Pierre so without wasting anymore time, I took my place and eat what Jacquemin brought and we all told stories to fill in the silence. After we're done eating that's when the interesting conversation started.

"Mum and Dad asked me what to I want to do in the future before I came here." Jacquemin told us a while after we finish eating and is just waiting for the food to digest. He was sitting on the lowest rock next to Jean so that his height would mostly be the same as us. It perked my interest as I never really thought about what they wanted to do when they're older.

"Eh?" Pierre cried out in surprise.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too." Jacquemin said as he use his leg to kick a nearby rock, "They told me I don't have to answer right away though, so I have time to think about it."

Ah, I remember how I felt what I was asked what I wanted to do in the future in my previous life. No doubt Jacquemin is feeling the same thing I did back then. He's probably feeling lost right now, the path in front of him branched out into so many possibilities. Well, it's not like there's a lot to choose from. He only thing he knows is probably farming so inheriting the farm would be the most likely choice to make.

Wait a minute.

"Really? I thought you dad had different ideas." I asked with my eyes narrowed at him. I recall hearing their father saying something about wanted his kids to inherit the farm though why would he suddenly change his mind and let them choose what the wanted to do.

"Well, Dad wanted me to take over the farm but Mum kinda of changed his mind with a ladle because she wanted her children to choose whatever they wanted." Jacquemin scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

Ah, that makes more sense. Isabella Romée is that kind of person, wanting the best for their kids and would let them do whatever they want as long as it's not something bad. Changing the mind of her husband is probably the easiest thing for her to do because she's the one who wears the pants in the family.

Then again, I think all the women in this era were the ones who wear the pants in the relationship. Whoever wrote that women in the medieval times were submissive to their husbands is a liar. Or maybe he clearly had his pride bruised by his wife or girlfriend and wanted payback by writing about false information into the history books. That way the future generation would believe it and thought women were the submissive and the men were the dominant ones in the relationship. Smart move mate, smart move.

"So what do you want to do when you grow up Jac." Elena asked curiously, kicking her legs in the air because of the height of her rock.

Jacquemin creased his brows in deep thought and runs his hand over his mouth. You could tell that he's really thinking about it even though he's only twelve. Do the kids in this era have to make their choices so early?

"I want to join the army." he suddenly answered as he stood up, his hand tightened into a fist as he held it close to his chest while his eyes gleaming with determination. "With the war going on I want to be able to help my country in any way possible. Once I joined I will train myself to be strong enough to push our enemies back from our home." he declared with a smile.

Jean and Pierre were staring at him with awe, deeply moved by his dream. It was that sort of feeling that only a boy would be able to understand and sympathize with.

"Then I wanna join too." Pierre shouted with his arms shot up.

"Oh, me too, me too." Jean joined in with a laugh.

Elena was shaking her head while rolling her eyes, muttering 'Boys' as she did so before she place her head on her hand that has an elbow resting on her knee and lean against it. Jeanne had no idea what we're talking about and chose to gaze at the pretty looking butterfly that flew by while we were busy talking.

Me on the other hand had very conflicting thoughts. On one hand I was happy that the kids have their hearts at the right places and wanted to do something to help their country and I recall reading about Pierre being in the army but on the other, I was saddened that they would soon learn that things aren't as easy as it seems. They do not know the chaos and destruction that war would bring. Not yet at least. I would rather they spend the rest their days completely free from the horrors and nightmares that would follow if one choose to fight in a war.

I don't claim to know everything about war, I've never been in one after all. But I have seen the aftermath first hand. I volunteered to help in a refugee camp before. There was a war, a war actually with terrorists I think, can't remember how it started and all but I do remember that I volunteered to help out in the refugee camp not long after the war started.

It was completely hectic I say. People keep coming and we had to clear rooms for them, set up tents, prepare food, making sure they have all the basic needs for a human being to survive.

I learned a lot back there, seen a lot of depressing things too. The blank and lifeless faces of people who had lost everything, wandering around the camp with no purpose in mind. Children huddled up together, crying or sobbing because they have been orphaned. The medic tent, filled with people that were wounded when they were caught in the crossfire.

There were a lot of things I needed to do there. I think dealing with civilians with PTSD ranked the top two hardest things to do. I am no psychologist but I'm pretty sure saying deal with it to them is a very bad idea. Getting them to open up is also very hard, especially since I'm an outsider and had no idea what they're going through.

The top first is trying to stop said PTSD victim from committing suicides. We didn't always succeed. Oh, let's not forget the rows and rows of body bags that house those succumbed to their wounds and couldn't be treated in time.

Then, there's also one time I got shanked in the back and was removed from all my possessions before being left naked and bleeding in some alley. Thankfully a good samaritan found me and brought me to the medic camp in time.

Ah~ good time, good times. Maybe that was when I started to sharpen my ears so that I would know who's coming from behind me but I really doubt it since my hearing is still the same after being shanked. I only noticed that my hearing is better than before in this life only. War certainly brings out the worst out of us humans but it also brings out the best…. The world is still filled with assholes though.

"Hey Alex. What do you want to do in the future?" Pierre suddenly ask in curiosity once their hype about being soldiers when they're older passed and shifting everyone attention towards me. I gave them the stink eye for doing so, he already knew I really don't like being the center of attention because I would feel awkward.

Hmm, speaking of what I want to do in the future, I'm thinking world domination but it takes so much effort and is too much trouble. I think there's a quote for the perfect life in a book that I've read.

I would like to live to a ripe old age of eighty with my belly full of wine and a woman's mouth around my cock. But sadly, I don't like the taste of wine nor do I feel like getting HIV and I'm pretty sure live in this era is boring as hell so I rather die young. A short, sad life for me I guess.

But that's just depressing. There's gotta be something interesting to do in this era where human kind haven't really done anything worth while to change the world. Maybe I could travel all around the globe and see what earth was like before the humans fucked it up too badly. That sounds nice.

"I want to go traveling and go all around the world to see what's out there." I told them lazily, earning confuse looks from everyone sans Jeanne because she's still busy looking at the butterfly.

"Eh~, I thought you would want to join the army too." Pierre let out in a cry of shock and betrayal.

"I don't feel like taking an arrow to the knee." I told them with a smirk, silently laughing at my own joke.

"Huh?" Jean let out, obviously didn't get what I meant.

"Hey, Elena. What do you want to do when you grow up." I quickly asked her, trying to shift everyone's focus away from me. Thankfully it worked and everyone's eyes were upon our red haired companion.

Elena looked thoughtful for a while as she purse her lips into a thin line. "I don't know." she shrugged before turning to face Jeanne. "Jeanne, what do you want to do when you're older?" she asked eagerly only to find that Jeanne wasn't even listening to our conversation because she was sort of frozen or mesmerized by the colourful insect that landed on her nose. It appears that she wasn't even remotely interested in our conversation.

Elena stretch out her arm and wave her hand in front of Jeanne to get her attention and causing the butterfly to fly away. Jeanne looked sad for a moment, reaching her hand out for the butterfly but eventually she turn her attention to the one who caused her new friend to leave with a pout.

"Ehehe, oops?" Elena let out a sheepish laugh as she scratch her cheeks. "Anyway, Jeanne, what to you want to do in the future?" Elena asked again, looking into her amethyst eyes that seem to be emitting confusion.

"Fyucha?" Jeanne asked as she tilt her head.

"Hm." Elena nodded. "What do you want to do when you're bigger." Elena repeated with childlike excitement, placing her hand near Jeanne's head and lifting it up as if showing her she was talking about her being taller or bigger.

Surprisingly Jeanne understood what Elena was talking about and beamed happily "I wan stop wars." she declared with a smile. The d'Arc brothers were surprised to her their little sister's wish. All they thought about was fighting for their country because of the war that they never thought about finding a way to stop it. Immediately, they were all charmed by the little fella and went to hug or pet her but was stopped by the protective Elena as she pull Jeanne into a hug of her own because she thought she was just adorable and preventing the boys from giving her their affection.

Meanwhile, I winched internally, knowing full well that she would accomplish her dream but with a price. Why would she even think about it in the first place though? Hmm, people have been talking about the war for a while now. She must have heard people mentioning about the war and how bad it was but never really know what it is.

My god, it's almost like everyone's destiny was already set in place.

Wanting to change the subject of what the kids wanted to do in the future I quickly look around for anything to shift everyone's attention to. Just as I was about to look away from the group of kids all trying to hug the lovable blond, I saw something glinting in her hands.

Narrowing my eyes at the object that she was holding on to get a better view, I could make out something green in her hands. "What's that in Jeanne's hands" I asked while pointing at it.

Jeanne blinked before looking at her own hand and hold it out for everyone to see. It's was a gem, an emerald to be precise. It's big enough to fit in her palm and since it's naturally formed, it looks rough around the edges and have a few places with normal rocks attached to it but other than that it's a beautiful piece of gem.

"Oh yeah, Jeanne found that in the creek while we were playing. I dunno what it is but it's shiny. Since she's the one who found it, it's only right for her to keep it." Elena told me as she eye the piece of gem in Jeanne's hand. Said girl just hold the gem into the air and murmured with childlike awe with stars in her eyes "It's pretty."

"Well, keep it close to you Jeanne. Emeralds are said to bring good luck." I told her, and she nodded but I could tell she really didn't understand what I just said.

"How do you know what it's called?" Jacquemin suddenly asked as his eyes narrowed at me. Oh shap, quickly brain! Think of something!

"I have approximate knowledge of many things." I answered him without missing a beat, cold sweat sliding down my back because I just realised that I shouldn't even know the name of the gem in the first place.

The answer I gave is kinda true actually, I really do have approximate knowledge of many things because you really can't trust everything you learned in the internet. Besides, the more you know, the more you realize you don't actually know anything. If you think you know something, you don't know it how you ought.

Prime example would be men's understanding about women. Men would think they know what they are thinking but in reality they really don't. They would have an easier time trying to discover the why Atlantis sank into the bottom of the ocean.

"I have no idea what you said but I'm guess you know a lot." Pierre spoke up after trying to understand what I just said while Jean just nodded along.

"Precisely." I nodded and Jacquemin rolled his eyes, dropping the matter and went back to chatting with everyone else.

Later, once the food have been digested, everyone else goes back to playing in the creek while chatting happily while I was still sitting on my rock, deeply pondering about what the future would hold for the kids in front of me. Out in the corner of my mind I saw Jeanne clutching onto the Emerald tightly to her chest, as if she's afraid that she would lose it as she splash around. Maybe I could make a pouch for her to keep it in later.

 **-0-**

Eventually it was time to return back to the village. Mr. Lassois came to pick us up and we were outside of the d'Arc's house. I've said my goodbyes to each of them all while getting sad looks from Jeanne. She always gives us that look whenever we have to leave. But since I'm unable to do anything about it so I try my best not to look into her eyes and could only promise to come again tomorrow or the day after. Elena was currently giving her a goodbye hug with a look of reluctance on her face while I was already waiting in the cart, my head peeking out to see the d'Arcs saying their own goodbyes to Elena and me.

Sheesh, it's not like we're going to move to another village or something. Why they gotta make it so dramatic for? But I didn't voice it out loud because I know everyone would glare at me for ruining the moment and thus, I decided to that it's best if I just let them do what they want so I won't be glared at by four kids and pout at by one adorable kid.

Once they're done, Elena climb on board the cart and I gave her a hand to pull herself up with. She got in and quickly turn around to give them one last wave, they waved back before heading inside. Jeanne lingered behind for a bit before following her brothers.

"You kids have fun while you were there?" Mr. Lassois asked as he climb up the driver's seat. He pulled the reins and Butt Stallion started pulling the cart.

"Hm." Elena nodded tiredly before slumping down on the now almost empty cart and yawned. Playing for an entire day could really wear a kid out, especially since she didn't even took a nap in between.

"Yep." I answered him while popping the 'P' as I sat down next to Elena. As soon as the word left my mouth I felt something heavy landing on my shoulder. Also, my face felt like it's being pricked by a red porcupine as Elena's hair made contact with it. My eyes trail to the sleeping figure of my childhood friend, or rather towards her mouth to check if she's drooling.

Thankfully she wasn't this time and I let out a sigh of relief and rest my head against the wooden board of the cart. What a day, can't believe we manage to do so much in just a few hours, tree climbing, hiding in haystacks, helping out in the farm, asking Miss Romée to help me sew a pouch for Jeanne to keep her emerald and adding the design for it.

It's the most fun I had in years. I never realised how dull my previous life was. It's a good life I lead right now...it didn't take long for me to fall asleep too

 **-0-**

I was jolted awake by Elena once we arrived at the village. It was rather late now and the sun was starting to set over the horizon. The cart was stopped in the center where the one of the well was at and I saw that Mr. Lassois was just getting down from his seat.

"Wakey, wakey." Elena giggled as she prod my cheeks while crouching next to me, earning unhappy grunts from me.

"What?" I yawned sleepily as I stretched out my limps.

"We're back home. I'm going back first, bye bye Lexie." she told me as she stood up and started climbing over the cart, leaving me alone with the cargo. I got up with a grumble before I toss myself off the cart and landed on the ground on all fours. I dust my hands on my trousers before looking around. I saw Elena walking towards her house on her own, most probably to tell her parents that she's back.

I followed her but only took a few steps before I noticed that something was wrong. I stopped in place and survey my surroundings. Everything looks the same but there's something different, I just can't quite place it. People were walking around, minding or finishing up their own business in preparation to head home for dinner. Everything looks fine but why do I get the nagging feeling that something's off right now.

I tried looking closer this time, paying attention to the people and the surroundings and I suddenly found the reason why everything felt different now. Everyone's acting differently today. Some of their bodies were even tense like a bowstring, I even saw some of them subtly looking around for something, as if expecting something to happen soon.

"Hey, Durand." I heard someone call out to Mr lassois from behind me but I made no move to turn around to give off the impression that I've heard him, instead I started walking again, pretending to mind my own business before I hid myself behind the well. My stick my head out just enough for me to see who called out to Mr. Lassois.

A large and somewhat plum looking man walk up to him as he was lifting the crates inside of his cart out. Mr. Lassois quickly place the crate down before turning to face the one who called him. Confusion was etched onto his face because the one who called out to him sounded nervous.

"Joey? What's wrong?" Mr. Lassois asked in concern. At times like these I'm grateful for having sensitive hearing but I'm still not sure how and why I got it. I'm pretty sure being shanked in the back really doesn't improve your hearing just because you became paranoid.

"Listen, there was some sort of scout or kidnapper wandering our village this morning. Elder got suspicious and told us to gathered up some men to catch him but he got away before we could do anything so now everyone in high alert. We're going to double the guards tonight just in case and get more eyes on the watchtowers." he told him as quietly as he could and I almost couldn't hear him too. Me and Mr. Lassois' eyes widen in shock before his face hardened into an unreadable expression.

Me however, was completely in panic. I pull my head back behind the well and started tousling my hair in panic. Shit! I completely forgot about the possible bandit raid. Oh god, why must Jeanne be so good at making people forget their problems with her cuteness!?

"Is there something I could do to help?" I heard him asked, his tone was a mixture of worry and eagerness and I stopped what I was doing and quickly pop my head back to see their exchange.

What's his name again, Jimmy? Jomus? Jon? Fuck it, I hate having approximate knowledge on things. I'll just call him Plum man like just now.

Plum man shook his head "Sorry but you're needed elsewhere. With everything going on no one has the time to warn the d'Arc's about a possible bandit raid. I need you to go and warn them but don't let their children know. As far as this information goes, the children are kept in the dark about it."

"Alright, think you can put my cart back where it belongs?" Mr. Lassois asked as he unhooked the cart from Butt Stallion.

"Aye, that shouldn't be a problem. You just go warn your relatives of the danger and come back safe." Plum man told him with a nod.

Mr. Lassois nods back and look forward with determination set on his face. I look up into the sky to see if there's still enough light for him to travel towards the farm. It's getting dark but he should be able to make it there before it became completely impossible to travel without a light source if Butt Stallion runs at full speed unhindered.

Mr. Lassois bend over and whisper something to Butt Stallion while petting her on the neck before he sat back up and kick her sides lightly, signaling for her to run. Butt Stallion immediately rush off with breakneck speed, causing my jaw to drop at how insanely fast she could go. Not even a few minutes have passed before I could see the fleeting form of the horse with it's rider on it, slowly disappearing into the distance.

I snap my mouth shut once they're gone and Plum man manged to pull the cart himself towards somewhere. I waited for a few minutes before I walk out of my hiding place. I took one last look around my surroundings, contemplating whether or not I've made the right choice in telling the adults about what I saw.

Without much I can do right now, I make my way home with a heavy unease settling in my stomach...or maybe I was just hungry.

 **-0-**

Once I got back the first thing I did was greet my parents, and the first thing they did was-

"Alex sweetie." My mum called out to me as I walked through the front door. She made her way towards me before crouching in front of me. I could tell that she was trying to hide something because she was trying to look casual and her body was tensed. Since I already knew about the possible raid, it really isn't that hard to find out why. My eyes dart to the side to see dad hiding some sort of club behind his back.

Dad, you suck at being sneaky. The club isn't even properly hidden for fucks sakes.

"Yes mum?" I answered curiously, even thought I've already guessed what this is about.

"I'll sorry to say this but you can't play outside for the next few days." Mum told me, looking sad as she did so. No doubt Elena is being told the same thing right now. Well, no need to cause my parents any distress but agreeing too quickly could cause suspicions and thus, commence whining operation to shave off suspicion.

"Eh~ why not?" I whined in dissatisfaction, pouting at her.

Mum sent a subtle look at dad and I saw him shrug with a raised eyebrow. I heard mum sigh before she return her attention back to me. "Well, it's going to be dangerous to play outside for a few days so I need you to say home where it's safe." Mum told me as softly as she could.

I narrowed my eyes at her before nodding reluctantly. "Okay." I said in a sad tone. I could visibly see her relax as her body was no longer tensed and a smile appeared on her face and she pull me into a hug.

"It's okay sweetie, you're be able to play outside again soon so why don't you spend these few days helping out, hm?" she said, trying her best to comfort me.

I hug her back, tighter than I normally would. Everything's going to be fine, everyone in the village is already aware of the possible threat and is in high alert. They even upped the number of guards for tonight. But yet... I keep getting the feeling that I'm about to lose something important to me soon. Why though? There's no reason for me to feel this way….unless fate is messing with me.

Dinner was a quiet affair, mostly because everyone's deep in their own thoughts. Dad's probably one of the guards tonight so he needs to leave once he finished eating. Mum's probably worried about dad and the dangers he would face and trying to think of ways to protect her home if it comes to that. Me on the other hand was still trying to figure out where that feeling of unease came from. I can rule out hunger because I already ate.

After dinner, I took one last look around me before I got off my chair. "Mum, I'm going to sleep now." I told her as she was washing the dishes, dad already left.

"Alright then. Make sure you don't try to destroy the sun with your eyes again okay?" she teased with a giggle before she return to her duty.

"Okay." I told her with a deadpan. I watch as she immerse herself in her chore. I nodded to myself before I did something I would never do before. I quietly move to the cupboard by the kitchen just behind mum and open it. I quickly turn to see if mum noticed and felt relieved that she didn't.

I look back into the cupboard and saw a vast array of culinary tools. There's all kinds of things here, wooden spoons, ladles, plates and most importantly, the sharp things. I took stock of what's available and took what wouldn't be noticed so easily. My hand wrapped around the handle of the fruit knife, it's simple and sharp, just small enough to hide in my clothes and under my pillow.

I quickly close the cupboard and make my way back to my room. Once I entered, I locked the door and move to my bed. I sat on top of it and remove the fruit knife I hid under my tunic.

I just stared at it, holding it with both hands while my reflection glinting off the smooth metal.

 _Why did I take it in the first place I wonder?_

I shook my head to dismiss my thoughts before I place the knife under my pillow. I slump down on my bed to get some sleep, my head touching the soft pillow but I could feel the knife underneath it.

 _This just feels wrong_. I close my eyes and hopped for the best. I waited and waited for the peaceful lull of sleep to come but it never did. I just lay there, with my eyes closed, waiting for time to pass so that I would be tired enough to sleep.

I don't know how much time has gone by but when I open my eyes again and looked out the window, the moon was already high in the air. I blinked at the sight.

 _Huh, I've never really looked out my window at night before._

T'was a beautiful sight. The moon, large and round, hanging in the sky like some sort of blub, lighting up the world with it's radiance. The endless night sky was filled with shining diamonds as the stars took their place to filled the void of space. It was...mesmerizing.

 _Maybe I should stargaze more often. After all, I've never seen the something so beautiful before in my past life. Gotta enjoy things while it last no? Bloody light pollution in the future ruined something so great._

After a while of just looking into the sky, I felt my eyelids getting heavier. I allowed them to close so I could slowly fall asleep and prepare myself for tomorrow. My ears could only hear the chipping crickets and the dirt crunching footsteps and the night patrol that walked pass my house. Other than that it's rather a quiet night which greatly aided me in my progress to sleep.

But alas, sleep wouldn't come easy tonight for a loud scream pierce through and shattered the illusion of a silent night and the scent of smoke and blood assaulted my nostril.

Never in my life had I wished so badly that I could kick fate in the balls as hard as I could while wearing the Hulk Buster suit.

 **AN: Yay, finally done! I owe Shank Souls 3 for the motivation because I got tired of being backstabbed so much. That, and King Keith has a lot of information for me to use so I don't wanna waste that too.**

 **Anyway, I keep telling myself that I would write a shorter chapter each time but it just keeps getting longer for some reason. So next chapter maybe, maybe I'll be able to write a short one. Which I will get started on as soon as I got tired of dying again.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and please give me feedback because I need them to keep me motivated and be warned, it will be shorter than before and it may or may not be disappointing.**

 **You see this tank? *place small tank in front of me***

 **This is my motivation tank. It's practically empty right now and my bullshit pumper that I use to get ideas from needs some repairs because I can't get it to work anymore.**

 **Welp, I'm done here, good day to you all then.**

 **PS: I'm looking for people who has the time to help me improve my writing. You don't have to teach me, just give me tips or point out where I did wrong. Or maybe just give me a vocabulary list of words that I can use to make my stories more interesting.**


	5. The Raid

**AN: NOOOO, why did it still ended up writing such a long chapter D: I was aiming for 5k words god damn it. Why did it ended up with nearly 17k words. Whyyyyyyy!?**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter because I don't really think there's any moe to be found in this one. I have a question in the end of the chapter so please do read it and give me an answer.**

 **Anyway I think the last chapter has the highest count of reviews that I have ever received in a chapter throughout all my fics. XD Banzai~~**

 **Review answering section:**

 **GreyMan19 –** **Ah~ FTL, I remember playing that game and I most certainly remember deleting it not ten minutes later out of sheer frustration. Good times, good times.**

 **Judgment of the Arbiter – Conflict has risen indeed. Thanks for reading and here's the next one.**

 **Victory3114 – Holy crap it's so long, smells like fuel for my motivation tank XD. Alright then, one paragraph at a time.**

 **I'm glad that you enjoyed the fun times with the d'Arc's, I know I certainly did. Maybe he can change it or maybe Fate is something that cannot be changed.**

 **Well, we'll just have to see who will survive in the end, no?**

 **Harem? Hmm….maybe?**

 **Ah, I see. I guess it is a good reason to think that the ball of light is the counter force.**

 **Thanks for pointing out the error, sadly I'm too lazy to change it.**

 **Here's a long chapter, thanks for fueling up my motivation tank.**

 **We'll see.**

 **Freshrice01 – Thanks for reading my story, hope you didn't get a stroke because that would be bad. And what's Spacebattle? Some kind of website?**

 **ForteOfTheBallad98 – Maybe he would be fit for all the classes, maybe he would just be specialized for just one or two. We'll never know until then XD. And speaking or armor from dark souls, which one do you think would fit him?**

 **matrience – Oh hey! Nice to hear from you again. If I recall you always reviewed on my other fic but never really give any good feedback to it. But I appreciate it nonetheless so thank you for reading XD.**

 **GB – I see, oops then? Hopefully there would be less white knighting in future chapters.**

 **Polymon –** **Ah, diabetes. Sorry for that. What's** **Spacebattles forum** **by the way** **?**

 **shirou emiya 222 – It's ******* but friends and family would just shorten it to **** or ***** because it sounded better. :P**

 **Alucard Bellsing – Thank you for reading and your praises. If I ever need something translated to French I would ask you so don't worry. And the answer to your question is Yes. To which one, I won't tell. XD**

 **BlackStormReborn – Oh hey, haven't heard from you since chapter one. How are ya? Anyway, we'll see, we'll see.**

 **Xbox432 – Nonsense, there's no such thing as enough moe.**

 **Really? I guess it speeds up things instead to just reading about kids doing kids things.**

 **King Keith – Ah yes, war. It never changes. Thanks for telling me all about that because I certainly haven't thought about it at all. Well, I guess you would get to see how the villagers defend themselves in the next chapter…. Or won't considering the fact that I'm a very lazy person.**

 **Chapter 5: Things have changed and nothing will ever be the same.**

 **After the pleasant chat with Gilles de Rais, I've decided to go to find Elena Hector but somehow my legs led me somewhere else entirely.**

 **I found myself standing in front of the d'Arc Manor. A large building made out of concrete, a building material that was introduced many years ago by an unknown traveling scholar and is recently able to be mass produced with the technology we have now. Rumors have it that magic was involve in the creation process but we all know that magic isn't real.**

 **From what I've been told about it, it's** **eco-friendly** **and will process carbon dioxide into oxygen. Not sure what it means but I'm sure it's something good from the sound of it.**

 **Thinking that fate must be guiding me, I went to knock on the door. As I wait for someone to answer it I thought I saw something large move within the shadows of the forest surrounding the manor.**

 **I dismissed it by telling myself that my eyes were playing tricks on me.** **My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and I was surprised at who it was that greeted me.** **Isabelle Romée.**

 **The years sure hadn't been kind to her as she's look like a kind grandmotherly figure. Not surprising since she's 78 years old now.**

 **I talked with her for a few moments at the door, wanting nothing more than to ask questions. She must have had many people coming to her doorsteps and wanted the same** **thing** **. Her expression showed that she done this plenty of times** **but nevertheless she invited me in.**

 **I've asked many things about her and Joan of Arc but somehow one of the questions were about the raid that happened during** **1414.**

" **Ah yes, the raid. I remember it like it happened yesterday. I've lost a lot of good friends that day." Isabella told me, her face filled with sorrow.**

" **A lot of people lost their loved ones, their lives forever changed by the event. Some moved on, others still hold the scars closely to their heart.** **There's one boy, o** **ne of my children's long time friend,** **especially Jeanne's** **was broken so utterly that he never spoke for a whole month. It took time and patience for him to even open up again. But thankfully Jeanne was there to coax him out of his shell** **with her persistence.** **She was that stubborn even when she's just a wee little lass.** **"** **Isabella had a slight smile on her face as she recalls the memory of what she had just said.**

 **At that point I heard something interesting. I have heard about Jeanne's childhood friend Elena from Gilles but he never mentioned anything about a male childhood friend.**

 **I was about to ask but something interrupted me.**

 **A loud howl that echoed throughout the area,** **causing the glass windows to** **reverberate, as if they would shatter at any given moment** **.**

 **I panicked and jumped up from my seat but Isabella held out a hand to stop me. She gesture for me to sit down and I did, after a slight hesitation.**

" **I do apologize for that. Roxy would sometimes do that once in a while** **whenever she's feeling down** **." she told me.**

 **My confusion must have shown** **on my face because Isabella chose to explain to me who Roxy was, or rather what.**

" **Roxy is a Direwolf that was found within the forest when she was just a pub,** **wounded and dying** **.** **The kids were rather determined to nurse her back to full health before letting her back into the wild.** **"** **She told me with a hint of nostalgia in her tone.**

" **Turns out that Roxy wouldn't leave even after she was completely healed and** **chose one of the boys as her** **master** **.** **The rest got jealous when they weren't picked and had a childish bet for her ownership."**

 _ **Aren't** **Direwolves** **suppose to be dangerous?**_ **I asked.**

" **Normally they would be, but Roxy is a kind soul, she has been** **taught** **by him** **only to attack those that wish to cause harm** **to** **the people** **that** **she know."**

 **Another howl caught our attention,** **this time I payed attention to it. It sounded sad, miserable even. It sounded like was longing for something.** **I wanted to point it out but I saw** **Isabella just sh** **aking** **her head sadly.**

" **Jean deary." she called out.**

" **Yes mother?" I heard someone shouted out from within the manor.**

" **Roxy is feeling lonely again, take Catherine and go calm her down."**

" **Alright mother."**

 **I told her about what I think and she nodded.**

 **Isabella** **took a sip of her tea before she addressed me** **. "She has been like this ever since her original owner was gone." a sad smile adorn her face. "Now all we can do is accompany her when we can to keep her from feeling too lonely."**

" **She could have just le** **ft** **you know** **and search for her owner,** **we even encourage her to** **but she didn't.** **"** **She let out a sigh. "Even after all these years she still d** **iligently guard** **us** **because that was the last order she ever received after her master's gone."**

 **O** **ne last howl echoed through the place before I heard the steps of a huge creature move away from the manor.** **Isabelle just look out the window wishfully.**

" **She misses him….we all do."**

 **-** **Passage found on page 28 from the Journal of Richard Barnier,** **A man who wishes to know the truth,** **A Truth Seeker.**

 **-0-**

I force my body to spring up despite the grogginess that I felt from almost falling asleep. Once I'm sitting up on top of my bed, my hand automatically shove itself under my pillow and grab the fruit knife. My hand lingered there for a moment, feeling unsure of myself before I shook my head to snap the questions and sleepiness away and pull out the knife before I hid it under my tunic.

I was still rather dark inside my room since the only source of light I have is the moon and the braziers out in the street that was used for lighting up paths for the purpose of security, both to protect the wanderer from tripping on the path over something or keeping the potential thieves from lurking in the shadows.

I didn't dare look outside the window because it's much brighter than it should be outside. The sound of people shouting and metal clanking against each other might have something to do with it too. Instead I jump down from my bed, my feet feeling the cool wooden floor once I touched the ground and crouch down. My hands moving around under my bed to search for my cloth wrapper/Shoes in the dark before I found it and slid it on with ease.

I started pacing around my room, trying my best to calm myself down.

The sound of fighting was evidently getting more fierce outside and is getting louder. The screams, the clashing of metal, pained yell of someone getting hit, the sickening sound of flesh being torn, the cries of losing a love one, and I could hear it all so clearly. Fuck, I think having sensitive hearing is a curse now rather than a blessing. I wanted to block it out but couldn't because blocking my ears did nothing at all.

My mind was working overdrive, churning with thousands of thoughts all at once, always thinking of different possibilities and outcomes of what would happen to the village and our lives, non of them good.

What kind of defenses do my village have? Come on, think. I can vaguely recall some details here and there but nothing really solid because I've never paid any attention to it. We've got a very large and tall fence that surrounds the place but I doubt it would do much against axes and swords because it was mainly placed there to keep wild animals out, not humans looking to pillage the place.

Another yell interrupted my thought process and I bit back a curse. What else do we have to keep ourselves safe in case of something like this? I recall that we have some sort of defense force. The village militia, Dad and Bob is in it if I remember correctly. It consist of thirty something men but they aren't even properly trained in combat, they're just civilians that picked up arms to defend the village. They really don't have time to properly train themselves because of their lifestyle. They most likely only know the basics when it comes to fighting. Stab them before they stab you. Bob might now how to properly fight because of his profession but he's just one man. Maybe a handful of others would know how to defend themselves too but that's about it.

I don't even know how many bandits there are raiding the village right now. The numbers must be a considerable amount if they decided to target a place with the population of over two hundred, though a good majority of the population are kids and the elderly so we still got a hundred or so to defend the place. So it's either they have a good number of men or they're just that bold….maybe even stupid if there's only ten or so bandits.

Hopefully the adults took my suggestion seriously back when I was younger when they jokingly asked me one time during their yearly meeting if I know anyway of making our village safer.

I told them to make pitfalls filled with spikes all surrounding the village that could be covered with wooden panels with sand or dirt on top to hide them. We could cover the pitfalls whenever we don't need them and could easily be removed the panels when we do. It would drastically improve our survival rates and decrease the number of attackers when they blindly charge in, especially in the night where they can't really see well.

Bah, who am I kidding. I'm just a kid, why would they even listen to me.

I froze in my steps, one foot dangling in mid air as I heard the sound of a baby crying. My eyes widen as I finally remembered that my sister is still in the other room. I didn't need to think about what I'm suppose to do now. I spun on my heel and charge towards the door.

I yank my door open and quickly make my way towards her room. The wooden floor was creaking lightly from my weight. It was completely dark because there's no window for the moonlight to shine in but I have no trouble moving around since I've lived here for years. I heard something being moved downstairs but I ignored it as my only focus was my sister right now.

I swing her door open to see her cradle in the middle of the room. Catherine was crying loudly inside, shifting restlessly. The noise outside must have woken her and the smell of smoke irritating her nose. She's being covered in a soft cloth right now since we don't have anything for her to wear that would be comfortable for an infant to sleep in.

I made my way to her side and look inside, I place my hand gentle on her stomach and started rubbing it lightly in circles. It seem to have worked because her cries turned into soft sobs.

"Shh, it's okay little fella. Everything's going to be alright." I cooed at her while trying to convince myself that what I said was true.

The door suddenly barge open and I spun around to see who it was, my heart leaped to my throat at the thought of a bandit entering but it quickly settle down once I saw who it was.

"Mum!" I half yelled, half whispered to her, Catherine started to move restlessly again and I place my hand back on her stomach to give her a gentle rub.

"Alex." Mum was standing outside the door, sighing in relief when she saw me and Catherine together unharmed. She entered the room and quickly close the door, her face seem to be showing how distressed she was right now because I've never seen her look so worried before.

Mum looked mostly fine but she was sweating somewhat and breathing heavily like she had just run a marathon. Her panicky face quickly changed into a mask of calm after she took a deep breath. She turn around and stride over to us. She crouch down in front of me and place both hands on my shoulder.

"Alex sweetie. Listen, we need to go to the church alright? I know you're confuse right now but I promise you that everything's going to be fine and I'll explain what's going on as soon as we get there okay?" she look at me with a soft expression but her body was visibly tensed right now. I just nodded in response, no need to give her any additional trouble to deal with.

"Good boy." she lean in and kiss me on my forehead before looking into the crib.

The church is most likely where the civilians would evacuate to in to keep themselves safe in case something like this happen, there should be some defenders there too. Our home is near one of the two gates so it would most likely be one of the few that was struck first if the bandits get through. I hope Elena would get to safety too since the smithy is also located near the gate.

"Go wait by the door, I'll go get Catherine." she ordered before turning to face the crib. I quietly make my way there, not daring to disobey her and not wanting to cause any trouble during times like these. I stood in next to the door before I turn around to see how it's going. Catherine saw mum and let out a small baby like laugh. She raise her arms to greet her, her chubby legs were swinging in the air along with her arms, giggling happily at the sight of her mother. "Mama, mama." she called out, in the most adorable voice you could hear from an infant.

"Hush dear." Mum said quietly with a smile as she pick her up. I let out a smile of my own before I turn to open the door for her. "We're going on a trip okay?" she told her as she snuggle her nose against Catherine's, causing her to laugh happily. "Somewhere safe from all this." I heard her muttered. Catherine's answer was to reach out and pat mum's nose with her tiny hand.

I smiled again but it quickly disappeared when I heard something burst and crash from down below. It sounded like wood being broken with great force and crashing onto the ground. It didn't take a second to figure out that our front door has been kicked down by someone. Fuck me sideways, is nothing going my way today!?

How did they get pass the defenders!? There should be a lot of men stopping them from entering from the gates...unless they sneaked in through the fences. Sigh, should have made high walls made from stone instead of wooden fences previous Chief of the village. You really need to think long term instead of just focusing on your generation.

What are the people in the watch towers doing for Christ sake. They're suppose to warn us just in case someone's sneaking in…. unless they're already dead via arrows from the enemy then I can't really blame them. May they rest in peace. Hope it not someone I know.

"Alex, shh!" Mum whispered harshly at me and I turn my attention towards her. I saw my mother's face hardened as she walk towards me, no doubt having heard the noise below. Catherine resting snugly in her arms. She looks like she's contemplating something really hard if the biting of lips was anything to go by. She furrow her brows together as she stood there. Then she move quietly towards the window and look outside. I could hear her clicking her tongue as she shook her head before pulling it back in.

The sound of fighting continue on outside, even without look I can tell that it's completely chaotic. The heavy scent of smoke told me that something is being burned right now, it could be a building or the fences, I wouldn't know.

I heard the sound of plates crashing down below as whoever down there started ransacking our home for valuables. My heart rate was slowly raising and panic was settling in rather comfily as I realise that we have no way to escape from up here.

Mum started to look worried about the situation and I saw her bit her lips. Catherine seem to notice mum's unrest and she begins to shuffle in her position, her mood seem to be affected by Mum's worry and was about to cry. Mum noticed Catherine was about to burst out crying again and she quickly start rocking her in her arms, gently humming a soft tune for her.

Catherine slowly calm down from her soft, loving tune, one that even made me relax despite the situation. I recognize it as the one that she usually hums for me whenever I was going to sleep when I was still an infant. It sounded so soothing, reminding me of the time where I was still unable to move around, listening to her gentle voice as she hum the song for me…. it almost made me forget about the chaos outside.

Catherine was slowly falling back to sleep even with the noises and smell and I turn my attention back to the problem at hand. I plant my ears to the door, trying to listen if the intruder or intruders are still here. Mum watch me in confusion before she understood what I was doing and move to the door herself to copy what I'm doing, trying to get a grasp of the situation herself.

"There's nothing here at all." I heard someone grumble angrily as another crash follows. Oddly enough, the voice sounded familiar to me for some reason.

"Bah, keep looking. There's gotta be something of value here. Only a few of us are looting the village. The rest of our guys are keeping the militia busy for now but I don't know how much time they could buy us so hurry it up." Another guy said, the sound of more things hit the ground. I'm guessing that they're destroying our furniture to get rid of the frustration they have of not finding any loot in our home.

Thankfully, all our valuables are all stashed in a hidden vault that I made, they're most likely standing on top of it without even knowing. Well, dad helped me in the construction but hey, it was my idea in the first place. We simply remove some part of the wooden floor and dig a small hole in the ground and install hinges on the wooden board so that it would open and close like a trapdoor. The hinges are underneath the wood so they can't see it, in fact, the plank mashed so well with the rest floor no one could even tell that there's a trapdoor there unless they were told. The difficulty of finding it would definitely doubled in the dark so think of it as my way of saying 'Fuck you' to the thieves.

"Hey look. A chest." one of them said excitedly. Oh shit, that's mine! They better not ruin anything in there or there will be hell to pay. Then, I heard the padlock that I used to lock the chest being destroyed. Yep, there will be hell to pay indeed.

"What the hell are these craps." the guy shouted angrily as he ruffle through the contents of the chest. Not that he would understand what they are though. Pranking tools from the future aren't really well known in this era. Heh.

"What?" the familiar voice asked.

"These craps! I have no fucking clue what they are."

"Then leave them, we don't have time for this."

"Why are the defenses so tight anyway!? I thought you said that it shouldn't even be a challenge at all yet it's almost like the entire village knew that we were coming!"

"Hell if I know! The only one that notice me when I was scouting was a damn brat. Even if he did tell the adults they wouldn't believe what a kid says." My eyes widen at the implication and I realise why he sounded so familiar to me. That was the guy I bumped into this morning.

"Well, they did. And now we're paying for it." The guy snapped at him "Fuck it. Oi, go search upstairs, I'll go search the other houses."

"Fine, but you better share the God damn loot once we get back." The bandit grumbled before I heard someone's footsteps leave the building.

I could feel my heart skip a beat. Not good, one of them is coming up right now and he's going to block our escape route once he reached the stairs. We can't climb out the window because there's nothing there to stop us from plummeting straight to the ground from the second floor. I don't think my kiddy body could survive a fall form such height. Mum could survive such a fall at the cost of a twisted ankle or bruised leg but she holding Catherine so that's a no go too.

My thoughts were cut off when Mum crouch down besides me and pull me into a hug, she rest her chin of my head. "Shh, don't panic son, everything's going to be alright. You need to stay strong for me and your sister okay?" she told me in a gentle tone, her eyes gaze into mine. I can tell that she's worried but she's holding fast, for me and for Catherine.

Panic? I'm not panicking. But then I look down at my hands and realised that they were trembling. Fuck, even my body's shaking violently and I never even noticed. Was I so deep in thought that I couldn't even register the fear that I was feeling right now?

I inhale sharply before exhaling, doing my best to stop the shaking. Being afraid won't help me here, there's gotta be something I can do right now to get us out of this situation. Use the available cloth in this room to make an escape rope? No, there's not enough last I checked. Wait here and ambush the guy, should be able to pull it off but he might take me hostage to keep mum from doing anything.

But before I could think of a feasible plan to do anything, I felt something being shoved into my arms. I blinked confusingly at Mum as she place Catherine in my arms.

"Alex, as soon as we head out, I want you to run to the church with Catherine and don't look back. Can you do it?" she place both her hands on my shoulder while giving me a kind, reassuring smile and my eyes widen as I realise what she's suggesting. "I'm going to keep the bad guy busy so you can get away. So run as fast as you can alright?"

Mum, please stop raising death flags right now. Fuck, it's not even funny here! Seriously mum, they has to be a better way. But the words I wanted to say to her are stuck in my throat. I was too shocked at the fact that my mum would willingly put herself in danger like that.

She won't survive if she go. We have no idea what kind of weapon that he's using and I know how big he is. Mum would be overpowered in an instant and I wouldn't know what he would do to her.

She pulled me into a hug, I could feel her body trembling in fear as she gave me a kiss on the cheek and a peck on Catherine's forehead.

Humans are suppose to be selfish God damnit! You're not suppose to just risk your own life to save others! Please mum, I've already died before I can do it again. Although I have no clue how I died or if I even died in the first place but if you died once and was reborn then dying is just another inconvenience for me no? Just run away with Catherine. I don't want to lose a loving parent because of something like this. Didn't you say you want to hold grandbabies? At least Catherine could give you that.

"D-don't" I managed to chocked out as I look at her, my expression hurtful as I shift Catherine on one arm while the other reach out to grab her skirt.

I could feel something wet sliding down my cheeks, Mum's expression turn into a sad smile as she wipe it away with her thumb. "That's my Lexie, always smarter than he looks. Looks like you know what I'm going to do don't you sweetie?" She said as she remove my hand form her skirt and stood up, I saw her hand reaching out for the knob.

"Mum? Mum wait no!" I shrieked in fear and reach out to grab her again.

"Alexander Randall." she said, her voice indicating that it's final and nothing I could say will change her mind, stopping my arm mid grab as I flinched. "Protect your sister for me, please. And know that I've always love you, both of you even if you're always being a naughty little monkey and causing trouble." she gave me an unwavering smile before opening the door.

I had to shake myself from my shock before following her, knowing full well that I might not see her again. My heart clench tightly at the thought. She knew that she wouldn't survive this. She knew yet she's doing it anyway. Why? A mother's love for her children? I've never experience love this strong before…. Why does it hurt so much when you know you can't do anything at all.

Mum charge outside and I quickly followed behind her, the sound of our footsteps no doubt alerted the bandit because I heard him rushing up the stairs. But we got there first and I saw a cloaked figure halfway up and I could see his body suddenly stiffen in surprise, probably didn't expect us to just come charging like this.

Mum made the first move and lunge forward, tackling him with her shoulder, I saw them both fall down the stairs and down into the darkness. She was using him like some sort of meat shield that's keeping her from being harmed as they slide down the stairs. And this is why you don't underestimate women.

I run down as fast as my little legs could carry me. Catherine woke up and started crying because of all the rocking I did as I descend the stairs. I pat her back as softly as I could, silently thankful that she's not that big yet otherwise I might have a problem carrying her.

Once I reach the bottom of the stairs, the only lighting we have was the small candle on the table and the light from the windows. There was a book placed near the candle, telling me that mum had been awake all this time, reading. I saw mum with the bandit on the ground not far from me. She's trying to prevent the bandit from reaching his knife while staying on top of him. The fight was intense as Mum use her nails to scratch his face to keep him from seeing properly while he tries to hit her blindly but barely doing anything because mum could swat his arms away before he could touch her.

"Alex! Run!" Mum shouted without looking at me. I hesitated, looking between her and the front door. Gritting my teeth, I turn away from her and run towards the door with Catherine in tow, still wailing loudly.

 _'Everything's going to be fine, everything's going to be fine, it'll be fine so stop panicking!'_ I mentally scold myself as I ran, breathing sharply as I focus on moving one leg forward before the other.

I didn't even make a few steps before the sickening sound of metal tearing into someone's flesh froze me in my tracks. It was followed by the sound of liquid dripping onto the ground. My heart dropped to my stomach, my breathing hitched and my body started to moved on it's own, even though I already knew what I'm about to see, my body still moved on it's own. Everything didn't register into my brain anymore, not even the sobs Catherine was making.

I saw the bandit sitting up, panting. Both his hands grasping tightly on a hilt. The sword was was buried deep into my mum's chest. Her eyes were widen in horror, I could still see the life in them slowly snuff out as she turn her head towards me. Her mouth moved but I couldn't hear anything coming out of her throat other than gags and gasps but her message was clear. 'Run' Then she went limp, her arms flop to the ground lifelessly as the last of her life leave her body.

I shakily took a step back, breathing became an antagonizing thing to do as my heart pumped faster than it normally would. I was attacked by a feeling of as though I would lose all the support from my legs and buckle down on the ground and at the same time I held back the sense of nausea which was welling up. I could feel something stab through my heart, twisting it with sadistic pleasure. It hurts so much that I didn't want to believe it. But the truth was right in front of me. Mum's dead. And there's nothing I can do about it.

The bandit toss mum to the side and the loud thump that was made when she hit the floor was all it took to break me out of my trance. I sharply turn my body towards the door and ran. I could feel my tears threatening to break out but I kept them in, crying would just blur my vision and I need them to be working if I ever want to get to the church safely.

As I near the exit of the building the sound of fighting and blood spilling increased to the point where everything started to become a haze of random noises because I'm getting closer to the door where all the noise is coming from.

I stop trying to understand what's going on around me and I'm sure I saw the house in front of ours was in flames but I dismissed it and kept on running. I just ran as hard as I could and burst out of the building, watching the scenery change from a dark house into a wide open village.

It's not as dark as I thought as I could clearly see the road and other buildings, the burning buildings in front of me might have something to do with the lighting right now. The sky was red and any sign of the moon and stars that I was gazing at not long ago were nowhere in sight.

I didn't stop moving, my eyes mainly focusing on the large building on the far side of the village. I didn't dare look around, the scent of iron was all that was needed to tell me that dead men were everywhere. I didn't need that image burned into my brain.

I felt the warm wind outside hitting against my body, the smell of iron, smoke and ashes intensifies. The scene of a burning village was enough to convince me to keep running. Catherine was moving restlessly in my arms and I hope I would be able to calm her down once I get to the church.

"Gah!"

My tunic's collar suddenly started strangling me as it wrap around my neck when I felt something yank at the back of my tunic with great force, pulling the collar against my neck as it did so.

I let out a gasp as I felt my feet being lifted from the ground as I was being pull back. Then I felt myself being drag somewhere before being tossed. Everything was moving so fast but I could tell that the scenery had changed again, it became dark and a familiar sight greeted me like before. I was being toss back inside my house.

My first instinct from being fling in the air was to use my body to shield Catherine from the impact of the fall. I held her close, adjusting my body mid-flight so that I would land on my back. I also made sure to grit my teeth so that I won't bite my tongue.

Pained erupted all over my body as I hit the ground. My body skipped a few times until I ended up sliding for a bit before coming to a full stop once my body collide with the wall.

I started coughing loudly while quickly check the condition of my sister. She seems unharmed but was crying loudly. I weakly look up and saw the cloaked figure walking in from the doorway.

I got a sense of how ridiculously strong he is as he is able to throw me all the way here from there with just one arm.

Panic strike as I realise that I'm trap inside my house with my mother's killer blocking the exit. I kinda wish we had a backdoor now. I saw him close the door before toppling the large wooden cupboard nearby, it landed with a crash as the supplies inside sprung out, littering all over the place while the cupboard was blocking my only escape route. My hopes of escaping to the church with Catherine became dimmer the moment I register the fact that he had trapped me here for a reason.

Okay, rule number one in terrifying situations, keep calm and figure a way out of it. I breath in deeply to calm my pounding heart but movement cause me to look up.

The bandit turn around and growled at me, his sword already back in his sheath by his hip. I could still see some red staining the bottom of the leather sheath. "You! You're the damn brat that ran into me this morning!" he snarled as he stalks closer. "You told the adults about me haven't you? Bah, no matter. We'll still accomplished what we came here to do in the end, even if there's more casualties on our side."

I tried to push myself up with my free hand while keeping Catherine shielded with my body. Halfway up I saw a streak of black dart straight towards me face and pain spread all over it and at the back of my head too as my entire head slam into the wall before I slump back onto the ground.

The pain kept flaring all over my face, keeping me from thinking properly. The dizziness was messing with my senses but I could feel Catherine slipped from my arm as I fell but I couldn't do anything about it. I could only hope I was low enough when I drop her so that she doesn't hit the ground hard.

"Oh what's this. You have a sibling." he exclaimed with sickening glee before turning his attention back at me. "You know kiddo, you sure have a hard face. Most people I kicked usually have their nose broken, granted I really didn't use that much strength when I kick you but you're just a kid. Something like that should have knocked you out or at least break your nose." he stated curiously at me as I saw him crouch down and pick Catherine up by her cloth, causing her to cry louder and place her on his arm.

"Oh, a fine set of lungs. This little fella here would make a fine slave once he's grown up."

I shook the dizziness away and planted both my hands on the floor to push myself up. "Let go of my sister!" I bared my teeth at him but the only response I got was a foot planted on my back, pushing me down on the ground again, hard.

"Argh!" I coughed out.

"A girl eh? Couldn't really tell since she's so small. Well then, this makes it even better. If she's anything like her mother she's sure to turn into a beauty in the future. Don't worry kid, we'll train her well. She'll be serving us with all our needs like a good little slave once we're done with her." I turn my head to face him and I saw him smirked at me, perversion present in his eyes.

I growled at him, my anger rising, knowing what he was thinking when he mention making Catherine a slave. There's no doubt in my mind that they're going to use her as a sex slave once she's old enough. Fuck waiting until she's old enough, they could do it to her even when she's still a kid. There are no morals present in any fiber of their beings at all. They have gotten too used to this life to have any shred of remorse for their victims. They're probably taking away other people in the village to sell as slaves or kept for their own amusement.

I need to do something, anything! I tried to remove the leg keeping me in place but I'm just too weak to even push myself up with his weight keeping me down. My hands can't even reach the place where he's planting his foot. I can tell that he's amused by my futile struggling. I hate this feeling of helplessness! Why am I so weak! If only I was bigger, I could have done something, anything at all.

Then I felt something sharp scrap against my chest as I struggle. The knife! I fucking forgot about the knife! Out of all the fucking things I could have forgotten, it had to be-….

My eyes widen as I thought of something that I could have done to keep mum alive. Guilt and regret started coiling around my heart. I could have given her the knife...If only I had given her the knife…

It was my fault. I could have prevented her death but I didn't. It's all my fault.

The bandit finally removed his legs because I stopped struggling. The crushing guilt from the realisation froze me, keeping me from doing anything as I just stayed there. After a while I find myself being lift up from the ground by the collar of my tunic.

He lift me up to his height, our eyes meeting each other and I saw him tilt his head up, letting gravity pull his hood down for him. He's face is rough and heavily scared, he's completely bald and there's a few stitches on his scalp. I don't want to know how and why he got them. He pull me closer and his scent attacked my nose. He smelt like someone who haven't bath is years. It's no wonder why Catherine was crying so hard right now.

"So, what am I suppose to do with you? You seem energetic enough to put to work immediately. You've got a pretty face too. If we were to put you in a dress some might even mistook you as a girl. Don't worry, I know quite a few who's into that kind of thing." He laughs maliciously as he walked towards a burning candle that was placed on the table and I narrowed my eyes at him.

He's using the light to illuminate my face to see clearer. He wants to see me scared, take pleasure in my fear. But I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing me frightened. Anger took over the feeling that I had before and instead of letting him win, I did something I really shouldn't and growled at him as threateningly as I could but he only blinked before he laughs harder at me.

"Oh this is gold. You've got great eyes kid, one filled with so much hatred and anger. Why, I might even make you into a bandit given enough time." He throw back his head and laughs.

I felt a rush of fury surging from within me but I quickly squash it down, knowing that anger would only cloud my judgment and lead me to an early grave. But it didn't stop me from spitting on him. My spit entered his mouth as he laughs and he started coughing instead.

Once he gain his bearings again he pull me closer to his face, his eyes narrowed at me. He looks less than amused right now as our eyes meet each other once again. Black eyes with irritation present in them meet crystal blue with unyielding defiance clearly burning brightly underneath them.

I smirked and was promptly slam to the ground, head first. The pain erupted once again and I could hear ringing in my ears. Then he kicked me in my stomach, sending me soaring into the air and hit landed a few feet away from him.

"Ack..." I let out weakly as I lift my head. Everything was spinning and I feel completely nausea, wanting nothing more than to empty my stomach right now. I'm surprise that I haven't fainted yet but the surprise I felt was soon overwhelmed by the pain coming from all over my body.

In the end my strength left me and my head fall back to the ground. The bandit was walking towards the table, he grabs the candlestick from it's position and point it at me. "I was going to let you live but I changed my mind. You can burn, just like your pathetic village."

I thought he was going to use the candle to hurt me but I was wrong, he uses it to light the book on the table on fire. I caught a glimpse of the title, It was mum's favorite. Once the flame was about to consume the literature he toss it to the side and it made contact with the wooden wall at the far side of the building. The fire started spreading, slowly but surely the flames are getting stronger. Anger surge through me again and I tried to get up but another kick to my stomach send me back down.

It hurts, everything hurts. The ringing in my ears just got worst and I found myself fighting to keep my tears in. I weakly turn my head towards the bandit and saw that he was walking away with Catherine still crying in his arms, darkness was slowly creeping in from the edges of my vision but I fought to keep them at bay. I felt weak and powerless. My sister is being taken away and there's nothing I could do.

My eyes look around the building, the fire was spreading fast and it was large enough to illuminate part of the house, just bright enough for me to see my mother's…. corpse. Her eyes were still opened, completely lifeless, blood had pooled out of her body and staining her clothes with them.

" _Protect_ _your sister_ _for me, please."_ Her last request rang in my mind, the memory of her face still clearly etched in my mind.

Sadness assaulted my core. _'I-I can't. I'm sorry mum._ _I'm_ _just too_ _small and weak_ _to fight against an adult_ _._ _'_ I could no longer hold back the tears and they flow freely down my cheeks. I git my teeth to keep myself from sobbing, instead I turn to glare at the retreating figure of the bandit.

My vision gets hazy from the tears and I closed my eyes, just waiting for the fire to spread and consume me. Am I...just going to giving up?

" _Get you asses moving maggots. Just because you're tired doesn't mean you can rest." a mature female voice bellowed out, it was loud and authoritative, making those who had heard her follow her without question._

W-what?

 _The sound of shoes hitting the concrete could be heard, indicating that she was running. It followed by the sound of two people panting hardly behind her as they struggle to follow her._

" _Gah, ****, your Mum's a monster." the sound of a boy could be heard as he struggle to follow the woman._

" _I told you not to visit me." the voice of another boy pant out but it's not as severe as the other boy's. "But did you listen? Nooo, you were like. I'ma go see what he's hiding under his bed and came charging into to my home."_

" _You never told me that your Mum's in the army! You said she was a kind lady that looks after the household."_

" _Well, it didn't seem important at that time. And besides, she is kind….just not in Drill sergeant mode."_

" _Oh my god, I can't feel my legs. Is this why you're so fit all the time!?"_

" _Maybe? It's not really that much of a workout though."_

" _****! we're only twelve! She's making us run two full kilometers!"_

" _Well, she's in spec ops. What do you expect from someone who's trained to be the best. She taught me plenty of things too that involve being in Spec ops. Just not the extremely sensitive stuff."_

" _What *Hah* did she *Hah* teach you? *Hah*"_

" _You know the basic, how to defend yourself, how to get out of being tied by a rope, how to make things out of other things, parkour, making explosives, twenty five ways to kill a person with a fork. Ya know, basic things."_

" _Why the hell did she teach you how to kill a person with a fork for!?"_

" _Hey! The fork is a very dangerous weapon. Just ask_ _Mahiro Yasaka._ _He's got the right idea of using them as weapons."_

" _Why would she even teach you all those things in the first place?" the boy sounded exasperated._

" _Well, she wanted me to be able to protect myself I guess. She said. 'Just because you're small doesn't mean you can't be dangerous.' and training is a very important aspect of being dangerous. So here we are."_

" _But why am I even running with you!?"_

" _We were about to leave when you came and mum took one look at you and was immediately disappointed at how scrawny you look and drag you with her so you'll learn to be able to protect yourself. What? Forgot about it already?"_

" _No, I'm still trying to convince myself that this is a dream. Is your mother always this protective?"_

" _Well, she has lost a lot of friends in her job so I guess so. I think she's also trying to show me how gray the world is and not let me get my hopes up."_

" _Gray? What does that mean?"_

" _I dunno, still haven't figure it out yet but she asked me this before. 'Are you willing to do whatever it takes to keep your love ones safe?' Dunno what it mean though?"_

" _Wow, that sounded really depressing or some reason."_

" _Yeah I know."_

" _I can hear you two chatting!" the mature female voice shouted out. "If you have time to talk then that means you have the energy to run further!"_

" _Oh no!"_

" _Ha!"_

" _You knew this was going to happen!"_

" _I have no idea what you're talking about." the boy started whistling._

" _You're still mad that I ate your cookie aren't you."_

" _Very."_

Ah...Mother...my other Mum...I remember now. Even though I finally learned what you meant years later but I still childishly carry a sliver of hope that the world isn't as bad as it seem.

"What a waste of fine meat." I suddenly heard the bandit said out loud with a growl. My head snap towards his direction and I saw him standing in front of Mum's corpse. Then he did something I never expected him to do. He started kicking her body in a fit of anger. "You. Fucking. Bitch!" he shouted out as each kick connected. "No one gets the best of me! No one. You got lucky you even get to hit me you slut!" he screamed as his kicks connect once again, letting out his anger at a corpse that once bested him.

As I lay there watching helplessly, I felt something thumping painfully in my chest, I could hear something in the back of my mind. It sounded like metal being struck and stone cracking followed. Each kick he made managed to lurch the feeling, making it stronger and wilder, it's almost as if something inside was trying to get out. The sound of metal striking metal became more frequent, more thunderous as I felt my rage building up in me again and this time, I did nothing to squash it down.

When I heard the sound of ribs breaking, something in me snapped. With one last heavy strike of the metal all the negative emotion that I've kept so closely in check and locked away over the years burst thorough the cage that I've build. I could feel something important to me sliding away from my grasp on my own humanity. Fury clouded my mind as my renewed strength flow though my body, fueled by anger. I push myself up, eyes burning with unadulterated wrath, focusing only on one thing and one thing only.

The bastard wasn't satisfied what he had, even after everything that he's done. He killed my mother, he set my house on fire and he even took my sister away from me for his own sick amusement. Now he's making a mockery of my mother's corpse, disrespecting the dead, just because she managed to hit him.

" _Kiiiiillllllll hiiiiiimmmm."_ I heard something in me demanded, it's voice laced with poison so sickeningly sweet, hissing like a viper.

But fighting against someone bigger than me...can I do it? Can I even make a difference?

I shook my head to clear away my doubt. No, there's no room for that anymore.

No, just like my previous mother had said, I don't need to be bigger to make a difference….I just need adapt and be quicker, more ruthless than those that threaten my family and love ones. Right now, I need to save Catherine, even if I have to pry her off his cold dead body... But can I really kill a man?

My eyes quickly dart to the side, I noted that the fire is spreading faster now. It won't be long before the entire building is encased with fire. There's not enough time for second guessing what I can do. Catherine is about to be taken away and raised as a slave for a bunch of lowlifes to use as they please.

If my morality is keeping me from saving my sister then I don't fucking need it. I'll discard it without any hesitation and I'll gladly die just as long as Catherine will be able to live a peaceful life!

When my mind had already formed a plan the bandit was already done with his anger fit. He's heading towards the window, most likely going to exit through there since the door has been blocked by the cupboard and he can't be bothered to move it.

It's now or never.

I started running towards him, keeping my body low and ignoring the pain and aching in my body that barely registered in my fury driven mind. My hands reach into my tunic to pull out the knife, one I should have given to my mother in the first place, and held it in a reverse grip.

What I'm going to do, It will be quick, it will be brutal and it will be bloody. But it's the only thing I can do with this body of mine and I only have one shot at it.

"Oi! Fuck Face!" I yelled to get his attention once I'm close enough.

"Wha-" He spun around, anger etched onto his face. He didn't get to finish as I was already in front of him, my body still lowered to the point where I would need to use my free hand to stop me from completely hitting the ground.

I stab the knife straight into his right foot, it's sharp enough to slice though his boots and straight into his flesh. I could feel the resistant against the blade as I push it into his foot. I would attack his achilles tendon to handicap his movement in his leg but I doubt the knife is strong enough to take the strain of hitting bones if I miss and I don't want to risk breaking the knife and leave me defenseless.

"Grrraahhh!" he shouted in pain and I quickly curl up my legs in preparation to kick against the ground. I made equally sure to twist the knife while it's still in his flesh before quickly dislodging it when he drop Catherine in reflex. I saw the knife stained with blood as I pulled it out, a few drops of it flew into the air from the force of my pull.

I had already leaped away easily enough thanks to my low position before he tried to kick me away with his other leg.

I reach out my left arm to catch Catherine, catching her in mid-air before I spun around to use my body as a cushion once we hit the ground. We landed right behind the bandit as he was just finishing his kicking motion.

But I wasn't done with just yet. I quickly push myself up, holding the knife properly this time and stab into the back of his knee on his only leg that's keeping him up. Blood spluttered onto my face as the knife does it job.

I remove the knife from him and dodge to the side just as he buckled from the pain, falling onto his knees, crashing them onto the ground. The sound of his screams as he hit the wooden floor echoed throughout the burning building and I quickly make my next move.

I was standing by his left side, Catherine safe in my arms, crying. My eyes zeroed into my next striking area, the side of his neck. Sever the carotid artery that's located at the side of the neck to cut off oxygen to the brain and kill a person quickly. That's what I was lead to believe. Movies and video games better not be lying to me about this. My previous mother already confirmed it would work so I shouldn't have to worry about it much.

I hold the knife in a reverse grip again and charge in for the kill.

I was so focused on the task at hand that I almost missed his arms swinging at me. My eyes widen in panic and I dodge it just in the nick of time before skipping back a few steps to get out of his range. Barely a few second had passed during this engagement.

He tries push himself up and glare at me, the light from the fire behind me illuminate his face enough for me to see his eyes screaming bloody murder at me, blood was pooling form where I had stabbed him, making the floor wet with his blood. I glared back, wiping the blood on my face away with my free arm before I took a step forward to kill him before he could fully risen and pull out his sword.

But the movement in my arm made me snap my eyes away from him. Catherine was sobbing, her tiny fist clenched tightly in fear as she look at me, her cheeks wet with tears and her mouth quivering as if she's going to burst out crying again.

I could feel my anger diminishing as I gaze at my sister. My thoughts were slowly becoming more rational as I look between the two, I could charge in and kill the bandit right now but I could fail and he would retaliate, hurting Catherine in the process because of me. Or, I could find some place safe to place hide her so that our fighting wouldn't affect her at all but the bandit would get up and reach for his sword, diminishing my chances of surviving the fight against him.

In the end, I couldn't take the risk of letting my sister get hurt. I turn away from him and started running towards the part of the house where the fire haven't reached yet.

"Get the fuck back here brat!" I heard him screamed at me, his voice laced with so much hate you could even taste it in the air. "I'll fucking kill you in the most horrible way possible! Then! I'll piss on your corpse!" I heard some scuffling behind me followed by a loud thump, telling me that he tried getting up in a hurry but failed and collapsed. The wounds on his leg should buy me some time.

I need to find someplace safe to put Catherine at where the fire wouldn't affect her and well out of the way of the bandit's wrath. But where? My eyes look around, nowhere seem to be a good place to hide an infant. Most of the place where I could are already engulf in flames. I grit my teeth as the pain from being bash around from before was still numbing some of my senses.

Even if I manage to find some place to stash Catherine I still need something to distract the bandit when I'm fighting him but options are quickly dwindling because of the fire consuming everything.

I could feel the sensation of being powerless slowly creeping up and twisting around my heart again. The dark thoughts of me failing to save Catherine were starting to-

 _'No.'_ I thought to myself as I shook my head. ' _I'll just improvise, I_ _can_ _make it work, I_ _always make shit work. I just need something, anything!'_

My eyes finally landed on a large rectangular chest. It's my prank chest, the bandits left it wide open and I realise that Catherine is just small enough to fit inside. A small smile grace my lips as I noted that I got lucky when I left my chest there instead of it's usual spot, otherwise it would be in flames right now.

Something in my mind clicked, If I remember correctly there's something inside that I could use to gain the upper hand against the bandit.

I quickly sprint towards it, stopping short in front of it and kneel down before looking inside. I resist making a fist pump as I found that everything was still inside. I drop the blood stained knife onto the ground and it landed with a clutter. I quickly stuff my hand inside, grabbing what I need and putting it outside of the chest. Then I shift the things inside and taking out things that are too big so that there's enough space to place an infant in there and so that she wouldn't be laying against something hard that will make her uncomfortable.

Once Catherine is safely inside I gave her one last smile before I pull the lid up but didn't close it, keeping it in an upright position with one hand. I pick up the knife and stab through the wood a few times in one spot so that there's holes for air to go though. That way Catherine wouldn't suffocate from the lack of air, thankfully the wood wasn't that sturdy, otherwise the knife would snap.

I don't plan to take long but it's better to take precaution. I drop the knife again and peek inside the chest, the lid was still being hold upright. Catherine must have cried herself to sleep as she was no longer crying. She was breathing rather calmly with her eyes closed and not moving that much at all.

"Don't worry little sis. Big bro will protect you, mum asked me to after all." I whisper softly, leaning in to give her forehead a quick peck before closing the lid. I look to the ground and saw most of my pranking tools. A few skin like sacks filled to the brim and a rope tied at one end of it to keep whatever inside from spilling out were ones that I'm looking for.

I place the knife in my mouth, the hilt was inside so that the blade would be facing outward. I grab the sacks by the knots with one hand and use my other to block the hole on the chest.

I place the sacks right above the chest and thrust my head forward, knife aiming at the sacks. Once the knife made contact with it, it burst, what's inside the sack drop due to gravity and splatter all over the chest, wetting it. My hand prevented the water from entering the chest through the holes and splashing on Catherine.

The sack was actually water balloons that's made by filling animal liver with water before tying it up with a rope. The kids in the past use animal liver as balloons for those who didn't know. Yes, I know. Kids were savage as fuck back in the past. They were like, I'm going to rip the bladder out of this sheep and blow air into it just to fuel my amusement.

Once the chest was fully soaked and the risk of it catching fire was reduced, I pick up the tool that would at least help me in someway during the fight against the bandit. I blew air inside it like I'm blowing a balloon but it didn't expand as much as a balloon would while I stood up and started dragging the chest further away from the flames. I didn't get far before he came.

"There you are you son of a bitch!" I heard him snarl. I turn my head to face him, he was leaning against the wall with one hand not far from me, sword gripped tightly on his other hand while one side of his pants was soaked with blood. I could see veins popping up on his bald forehead as he suddenly gave me a nasty grin, one promising pain and suffering. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this. I'm gonna carve you up and make you watch as I do so." he declared, limping towards me and brandishing his sword in a threatening manner.

I stopped dragging the chest and turn my body towards him, legs shoulder length apart and hands by my side. I showed no emotion on my face, save for the narrowing of my eyes. My neck cranked up so that our eyes would meet. It's hard to be intimidating when you're only four and short as fuck. Thankfully, being small has it's advantages. One of them is being constantly underestimated and I'm going to abuse it till it bleeds dry.

I _will_ win, there can be no alternative. For Catherine, for my mother's last wish.

Hesitation will only get me killed, focus on the task. Kill him and escape with Catherine.

I did a quick scan on him. Underneath his cloak was leather armor, the low quality kind, no gloves, no arm guards, no shoulder pads, in fact, there's nothing that indicate that he's wearing any other protection save for the leather armor. He's completely undefended save for his torso. My fruit knife would most likely snap when trying to penetrate the leather while he's moving around so that I need to avoid striking there.

Tch, can't go for the heart then. Attacking other areas would be pointless as he could probably take it and then kill me so I would have to go for the head instead.

The pain that from before has already dulled to the point where it won't hinder me anymore and I slowly walk towards him as he continue to limp towards me like a pathetic wounded dog. My eyes never leaving his as I begin tossing the thing in my hand up and letting it fall to my palm with a plop, allowing him to see what it is.

His eyes immediately followed the movement in my hand and he when saw the object that I was showing him, he snorted, completely dismissing it as something nonthreatening…. and that's what I was aiming for.

"You shouldn't have shown me what you have in your hands kid. Ruins the surprise." he told me curtly. "You should have kept it hidden so you can can me off guard. But what do you know, you're just a brat. Your little sack won't even hurt me when you throw it at me." he told me with a smug smile, his body emitting an air of arrogance that was usually present on people who think they're so mightier than others.

He push himself off the wall and started walking over with a slight limp now. His face has that twisted smile that tells me that he wanted nothing more than to maim me. My eyes quickly dart to his leg to inspect it before looking back at him. The hole in his foot was making it harder for him when getting a firm footing and the wound at the back of his knee would make supporting his weight a problem. I will be counting on that for what I'm about to do.

"This _brat_ just so happens to stab you twice, Bitch." I quipped, putting on my best smug face I could muster. I need him angry, making it cloud his judgment.

It worked because I could practically see him fuming out steam from his bald head. More veins appeared as his eye twitched like crazy. There's no doubt now that he wants to pee on my corpse…..or fuck it like a rabid madman.

We were a few meters apart. The bandit was approaching in a steady pace while I stood there waiting. He most likely have the impression that I'm too scared to move if the widening of his smile was anything to go by.

The fire has already spread to half the building most of the furniture were already in turning into cinders while the rest are catching on. One of the support beam that keeps the second floor standing couldn't take it anymore and it snapped, falling to the ground with a loud crash, signaling the start. And I moved first.

I dashed in, knife firmly grip in my right hand while my other was by my right hip, the entire arm tensed and holding the item loosely as if I was about to toss it.

The bandit saw me coming, of course he would I was right in front of him after all. But before he could do anything I toss the thing in my hand straight towards his face, praying that it wouldn't go off course because of it's light weight.

Thankfully, lady luck decided to make my day as the item flew straight and true. The bandit quickly raise his arm to catch it, letting out a snort as he did so. He caught it with his palm before it could hit his face and his fingers close down and squeezes it. And that's when the magic happen.

 ***PFFFFFFT***

The Whoopee Cushion did it's job of distracting the bandit as his eyes were as wide as saucers when the sound of farting came from his hand. They don't have those kind of pranking devices back then so his reaction wasn't that weird.

"What the FUCK!?" He shouted in bewilderment, never noticing the fact that I'm already closing in. The Whoopee Cushion was still being held in front of his face, blocking me from his view as I pour everything I have into my legs.

He never saw me in front of him before it was too late.

My expression harden and I thrust the knife forward with all my strength, never stopping from my dash. My mind already thinking about the next phase of my actions. With so many outcomes it would be best not to stick to what you think would happen but prepare for every scenario.

The knife buried itself into his testicles, most likely stabbing through his penis while it's at it and I use my body to ram into the knife, pushing it further in and ramming into the bandit.

His mouth was wide open but no sound came out of his throat. His eyes widen to the point where his eyes looked like they would bulge out of their sockets. I could feel his entire body go rigid. For a few micro seconds, I felt like the entire world froze for me, capturing the entire picture of a four year old with a face filled with pure determination, stabbing a knife into a someone's balls whilst standing inside a burning building with a bright red sky right outside the window.

It would be a perfect picture for me to frame on the wall.

The agony he's experiencing added with the unbalanced footing he has and the force from my tackle caused him to trip over and fall backwards. I made extra sure to judder the knife while it's still killing his future descendents. They would probably be born from rape anyway and discarded because their mothers wouldn't or couldn't raise them. I'm doing them a favour by stopping them from being born.

He hit the ground, hard. His sword slip from his grip as the anguish he's undergoing was too much for him to maintain a firm hold on it. Then came his screams of suffering.

I didn't bother listening to them as I dislodge the knife before he could react and kick me away. I jumped as high as I could and landed on top of his chest. His scream was cut off as I use my entire body weight as a weapon, granted that I'm not that heavy but I'm heavy enough to knock the air out of his lungs.

His eyes widen in panic as he meet mine. Crystal blue orbs that was reflecting the flames in the building, making it look like there was actually fire burning underneath them, bore into his with pure righteous fury.

I lift the knife overhead and swung it down straight towards his eye. My entire arm blurred, only the glinting of the blade was visible making It look like a viper's fang that was outstretch and going in for the kill.

But it's strike was halted when the bandit quickly grab my wrist, the blade stopping just above his eye.

I started cursing mentally, not expecting him to recover so quickly. It must have taken a lot of will power just to move his hands to block my strike instead of crying and holding his testicles.

I tried pushing the knife down with both hands but evidently, my strength pales in comparison to an adult's as my arm was moving back instead of moving forward. The blood form the knife started dripping onto his face as I glare at the bandit and he glared back, his face showing pain from my assault earlier.

It was just me and him now, nothing else registers in my mind. It's a struggle to see who would come out of this alive.

"RAAAAHHHH!" he screamed at me, saliva spitting all over my face. He uses his right arm to swing at me, trying to get me off him. Sensing the incoming attack I quickly place my left arm near my head into a boxing guard.

"Oof." I let out as I felt the impact that he made when he hit me. My entire arm hurts like hell and I could feel it numbing but I managed prevent myself form being knock off. I didn't let up and kept on pushing the knife forward with my remaining arm which didn't do much as I'm just too weak. He tried to pull me off by my wrist but I hook my feet under his armpits to give myself more leverage against his pull.

"You god damn son of a whore! Get off me already!" He kept swinging his fist at me, it felt like someone was using a sledgehammer to pound against my arm but I endured. It must be embarrassing for him as he couldn't even get a four year old off him even when he's punching the kid. Granted that having a large hole in your testicles would make it very hard to concentrate your strength.

We were at a stalemate. I couldn't generate enough strength to wrench my hand form his grips and he couldn't get me off. But I don't know how long I could last like this. The pain is slowly becoming unbearable and I'm losing my hold on him. Once he manage to detach me from him then I would lose immediately. I no longer have anything to use to surprise him and I doubt that he would fall for the same trick twice.

"Gah! Fuck it!" He suddenly stopped hitting me. I had a look of confusion on my face but soon the confusion turned into panic as I saw him reaching for his sword. It was dropped not far away from him but he would need to stretch out his arm way out to reach it.

It seems that he realise that he can't get me off with just his fist. He needed something more, and his sword was just the right thing to use. I saw his fingers brushing against the hilt of his sword and my mind went on overdrive.

 _'No!'_ I screamed mentally. With him no longer hitting me I quickly place my left hand on the hilt of the fruit knife to pushed and yanked. My arm barely budged an inch from his hold. I remove one foot from hooking under his armpit and started kicking his face.

Then I tried using both legs this time but the bandit was ignoring my kicks like it doesn't even hurt. I tried twisting my entire body so that there would be enough force to wrench my wrist off his hands but he's keeping it in a death grip.

I could feel my strength ebbing away, feeling tired from all the struggling but I fought on. I tried kicking his arm instead to keep him from reaching the sword but he retaliate by swinging his arm back to hit me. I almost didn't blocked it in time before he reach back for the sword. It's not working.

Nothing's working.

 _'I won't make it.'_ I screamed in my head as I understood my situation. A sense of dread seemingly wrapping around my heart.

I'm just too weak. In a few moments he's going to reach his sword and I will be impaled by it….just like mum was.

The image of my mother, still alive and happily smiling at me suddenly flashed before my eyes. Only she's dead now. No longer will I be able to hear her soft loving tune she would hum for me, no longer will I be able to hear her teasing voice whenever she call me Lexie.

I grit my teeth, anger and sadness starting to swell up within me again as I recall her death.

There was a sharp pain that shot through my head without any warning. I tighten my grip on the knife, my knuckles turning white from the force I'm exerting.

Another flashed ans I saw the memory of me holding Catherine in my arms for the first time, laughing bubbly at me. I was telling her that I wouldn't let anyone hurt her because that's what big brothers are for. Only I've failed, even after I so haughtily said I would protect her. If I die here then she'll live a life filled with misery.

I felt my body heating up unnaturally, I know that it's not from the flames burning in the building as it was spreading from my chest. I felt a rush of adrenaline pouring into my body.

Another flash appeared before my eyes. This time it's a memory of a few weeks ago. Elena, Jeanne, Jean, Pierre and Jacquemin were playing happily in the rain. I was sitting under the porch and safe from the rain while watching them play, not wanting to get wet at all. Jeanne then ran over and started tugging at my tunic, telling me to join in but I was determined to stay dry. Elena quickly ran over to where we were and started dragging me out of my dry zone, completely uncaring about what I want. It didn't take long for me to give up and join in.

We were having fun, enjoying the cool water splashing on us as we continue our childish activities.

Jeanne dancing in the rain, holding on to Elena's hands as they spun around on the spot. Her smile was so bright that it almost look like it's lighting up the area.

 _ **Static**_

The scene changed abruptly.

It's rather blurry at first but it soon focused and I could see clearly.

I was standing a large opening, inside a town or city. it was rather crowded as many people were gathered here. I was ignoring the people around me, in fact, I doubt I even registered their presence. I was looking forward, my eyes never leaving the girl that was standing in the middle.

It was Jeanne….she looked so much older now. She looks….beautiful, possessing a wondrous beauty that scarcely felt real, like an angle that decided to descend from heaven to lead us destructive human beings to a better future. She's wearing a purple battle-dress with armour and a gauntlet. There was a wooden cross hanging on her neck by a small string.

But she was tied to a tall pillar. Underneath her was piles of firewood and random broken furniture. She had her eyes closed I saw her mouth was moving. She was saying something but whatever she said was drowned out by the sound of people shouting curses at her. But the sound of curses and mindless shouting wasn't the only thing that I could hear. I heard the sound of people weeping. Quite a few people were crying openly, some were kneeling on the ground, faces wet with tears as they hold each other for support.

Soon, her words finally reached me and I realise what she was saying. She was praying, a prayer to the old man up stairs.

Finally, I noticed that there was a priest standing besides her, holding on to a torch, shouting something about being guilty before he threw the torch. It landed onto the pile of wood, not even a moment had passed before the pile caught fire. Within seconds, it spreads, the fire was burning furiously covering the entire pile in flames.

I saw the flames burn her skin, scorch her flesh, and char her bones, all while she spoke the name of the Lord and the Holy Mother all while a handful of people were denouncing her prayers as only a lie, the priest was the loudest, his face has a look of disgust on it.

I wanted to rush towards her, to put out the flames, to save her and take her away from this place but I couldn't. I was bound in place, unable to move, unable to shout. The most shocking thing was when someone walked right pass me, like I'm some sort of ghost.

Even as the fire was burning her, she continued to pray, offering herself that even if all other condemn her that she would not betray herself. Within the savagery, she only kept a single prayer within her heart to the very end, one unblemished by regret and filled with sincerity.

I watched, unblinkingly as the last of her consciousness slip away from her body before I closed my eyes, letting an unknown emotion flow through me before I open them again, looking up into the sky.

In the distance, I saw a white dove flew away before everything goes black.

 _ **Static**_

When I blinked, I was back inside my burning house, straddling the bandit. His fingers were brushing against the hilt and he's about to shift it enough for him to hold it between his two fingers.

Not even a few seconds had passed during the entire thing.

What was that?

I've heard that they said your life would flash before your eyes when you're about to die….

But that last bit doesn't seem like a memory….No, that was not a memory, it was a vision. I wasn't really there at all but rather, I was shown that particular event.

How? Why?

Was that Fate's way of telling me what would happen in the future? Nothing will change at all even when I'm already interfering? Is it because I will die here and all my influence will vanish without a trace? Was that Fate's way of mocking me?

….Then it showed me the wrong thing. What I saw only made me more determined to survive. I will _not_ bow down to Fate's plans and let Jeanne burn! I will survive and I'm going to make it regret ever pissing me off!

If this is your way of killing me off because I'm a nuisance to your oh so grand plan then fuck you and fuck trying not to change too much! I'm going to fuck everything up so bad that this timeline would be so utterly fucked to the point where nothing would be recognizable.

The unnatural heat that I have been feeling suddenly doubled in intensity. Without any warning, as if a dam had been broken, I detect a foreign energy burst out from my chest, seeping into every pore of my body that it travel through, leaving behind a burning sharp pain yet numb sensation. I felt my body shudder at the unexpected feeling that I've just experienced.

And everything went blank.

There was darkness. Nothing could be seen. Not even a sliver of light was in sight, just a void filled with silence. But something was inside of the dark. I could sense it move, slowly coming closer and closer until I could make out a shape in the darkness.

It looks like a hand, palm facing upwards and clenched into a fist. Slowly but surely, the fist started opening slowly. Light appeared, I could see the source of light was being held within the palm. It was faint but it managed to illuminate the area surrounding the hand. It didn't light up beyond the wrist and the rest of the hand was shrouded in darkness. The light source was being hidden from view by the fingers as they slowly unravel.

The hand continue to open, steadily revealing a very small orb of fire floating in the middle of the palm with sparks of electricity dancing around it. The electricity was coming form the palm, acting like chains and wrapping around the small orb or fire, shackling it like a prisoner.

I watched as the flame dance, electricity sometimes sparking brightly. It's such a weak little flame, like it could be extinguished anytime soon, yet it continued to burn on, fighting against it's inevitable fate….

My focus return to my struggle with the bandit, he started curling his fingers up to drag the sword into his hand. I was desperate, angered and confused. I don't know what I was doing but all I know was that I'm want to smash the blade down into his fucking skull.

"WHY!"

The foreign energy was flowing throughout my body entirely now, making me feel like I'm on a sugar rush and giving me excess energy, even though I was so tired and was about to drop not long ago. I start pouring that feeling into my arms instead of letting it run rampant around my body.

"WON'T!"

I saw something glowing at the corner of my eye, starting from my shoulders and quickly descending towards my hands. Both my arms lid up with bright blue patterns that looks like it belonged from a circuit board. The blue patterns started sparking like unstable electricity was running through them. The foreign energy started strengthening every fiber in my arms, giving it more strength, pushing the bandit's arm down, shoving the knife closer to his face and surprising him.

The bandit managed to move the sword hilt into his palm and he grabs it quickly.

"YOU!"

My right arm was in pain, almost like something is tearing my muscles apart from the inside. I could feel the bones in there straining and cracking. I was in complete agony but it didn't matter, I'm about to break free from his grasp.

The blue lines reached the fruit knife that I was holding, making it glow with lines that wouldn't be out of place on a circuit board.

I saw the bandit swing the sword at me, the sword was coming towards my side, about to slash though my flesh, killing me on the spot.

Everything was moving in slow motion for me, I move my left hand from the hilt of the fruit knife. I swung it with all my strength to swipe at the sword, not expecting anything other than to get my arms slice off to buy me more time. My eyes were hurting, something thick and sticky was flowing down my cheek and it smell of iron.

" _ **Die!"**_

Something seem to have spooked him and he loose his concentration, I saw the sword waver in it's path as it swung right at me. At the same time my right arm that's holding on to the fruit knife broke free from his grip, breaking a few fingers while it's at it.

My left arm made contact with the sword. I was expecting the pain from getting a limb slice off. Maybe buying me a few more seconds before the sword hits me but instead, the entire thing shattered like it's made out of glass.

The knife slammed onto the bandit's skull, burying it straight to the hilt with enough force to shatter the wooden floor beneath him. His arms and legs shot up into the air before collapsing like a sack of meat onto the floor. My right hand let go of the hilt and the entire arm drop to my side with a flop. I can't feel it anymore, I think the entire thing's broken. All the shifting bones I could feel told me that much but yet I can't feel any pain at all.

It's done. The entire confrontation didn't even take a few minutes but it somehow felt longer than it should be.

The bandit's dead. But I'm still not finished. All my anger that still remained, all my hate, it needed somewhere to go.

My left arm was still working so I used that to grab onto the hilt that's sticking out of the fucker's face. I yank the knife out, blood sprayed onto my face and shirt but I ignored it and slam the knife back into his head, I could feel the flesh being torn open and his skull cracked more.

I did it again and again and again, staining myself with more of his blood and losing my self in anger as I repeatedly stab into his face and suddenly, the knife snapped in half, the blade buried deep into his head before it loose it's glow but I didn't stop.

I use the hilt to bash his skull in.

I bashed and bashed, swinging down the hilt repeatedly, turning the head into an unrecognizable mush of meat, blood and bone. I think I saw something round roll away from one of the eye socket but I ignored that too.

My mind was clouded with my anger but it was diminishing with each strike. I barely noticed the circuit lines on my arm slowly vanishing and soon, my stamina ran out and I stopped what I was doing, letting the hilt drop to the ground. I lean my body back, my face facing upwards and I found myself breathing harshly while still on top of him.

I took in deep breaths to get my breathing under control as I close my eyes, letting the calm wash over me. I took this time to mentally check the damage that I've accumulated.

My right arm's a bust, completely unmovable and nothing could be felt from the limb, not even a tingle of pain. My left arm was completely sore but still moveable. I tried clenching my fingers to see if they still work and found that they still do.

I open my eyes to see a ceiling covered in flames. I steel myself, preparing myself mentally and physically to witness the horror that I have committed before looking down at the body, fully prepared to empty my stomach.

There was a pile of meaty mush where the head used to be. If I never knew what was there before I would never guessed that the mush used to be a head. I lift my left hand in front of me, it was completely coated in blood just like my shirt. There was a large bleeding gash on my forearm, presumably from swatting away the sword.

My eyes dart down to see the fragments of what used to be a tool for killing. It must have been badly maintained if it was so easily shattered. I could see my reflection on the broken sword, my face had splatters of blood on it but that's not what caught my attention. For a moment there, I thought I saw I had red eyes but when I blinked, they were gone, crystal blues ones, that doesn't look out of place on a weary old man were what greeted me.

But that was it, I didn't feel anything other than annoyed at how sticky my hand is. I didn't feel the disgust or guilt one would normally have for taking a live. Hell, I couldn't even feel anything by looking at the mingled head in front of me. What's wrong with me?

I should be puking my guts out for committing such brutality. My mind should be breaking down from guilt of talking someone's life away or the sheer shock of committing homicide.

But I didn't.

There's so much going on in my mind right now. I slip off the body that I was straddling and land on the ground on my back, feeling completely drained, both mentally and physically.

I just want to shut everything out and let everything sort itself out. But something kept me awake.

The cries of a child.

And that's when my mind snap itself awake with a thought. "Catherine!" I breath out weakly. I had also forgotten the fact that I was in a building that's in the process of burning down.

I forcefully push myself up with my only hand while my right arm just flop around on the ground uselessly. I could feel my strength waning just by getting myself to stand.

 _'No good, I'm running on fumes here.'_ I thought. I'm no stranger to passing out from sheer exhaustion. Did that plenty of times in my past life when I first started working out because of mum so the sensation I'm feeling right now immediately pointed out to me that I'm going to drop any time soon.

I drag myself away from the maimed corpse, sparing it one last glace to see if the guilt would come.

It didn't and so I did something else instead. "Fuck you" I gave him my best, polite goodbye before I turn away and stagger towards the crying chest.

Reaching the chest took longer than I thought, the fire spread almost everywhere now, sealing off my escape routes. My mind's so hazy right now, it's almost like it's a bundle of static in there. The chest itself was still wet-ish when I open it. Catherine was there, eyes shut tight and tears streaming down her cheeks. It must have been hot in there, thankfully I didn't take as long as I thought to deal with the bandit.

I want to carry her in my arm but it prove to be harder then it used to as I only have one hand to use to get her out of the chest and it felt like it's been infused with lead. My wobbly legs aren't helping at all either.

Once I managed to pick her up from the chest the extra weight was enough to sent me collapsing onto my knee. I let out a pained hiss as I endure the pain assaulting my entire body. Oddly enough, I still can't feel shit form my right arm but I can feel my broken bones moving in place because there's nothing keeping them together and it's creepy. I should be on the floor, having my senses overloaded from the pain.

Oh well, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. Take what you can get I suppose.

"FFFFFFFFF-udge." I had to bit back my curse because I'm holding an infant. Catherine was not crying so loudly now but she's still moving restlessly because of the intense heat generating from the fire around us.

"Come on you little kawaii potato, we're going to get out of here. I'll drag mum and out too once you're safely outside. She doesn't deserve to be burned, she should be buried instead." I murmured to her as I heave myself up.

The sound of fire crackling and collapsing second floor a distance away tells me that I'm running out of time.

I frantically search for a way to escape but the only way out was blocked by the cupboard and I'm too tired and hurt to move it out of the way in time. The flames are closing in rapidly and blocking any way of escape.

I took a step back from the intensity of the heat and growled. My body was on it's last legs right now, screaming at me to just drop down and get some sleep already.

The only way to escape is through the window that's just a large sheet of glass but it's too high to reach not to mention that it's closed right now. I need something to open the window and I can't open it through conventional means. It would just drop back then every time I try and that would just waste more time.

Alright, one problem at a time. My eyes quickly dart down to look into the chest for anything to use.

The only thing I have in there that could open windows are the flat skipping rocks that was used for throwing on the water. They would have to do I suppose. I stick my head into the chest, stretching my neck out so that I could reach the them. Thankfully the rocks aren't that big so I can grab them with my teeth.

With the rock acquired I make my way towards the window as quick as I could like a drunkard. I take a quick glance back to see how much time I have but the flames seem to be chasing me. It almost look like hands made from the fire are taking shape to drag me into hell. I blink and shook my head and the hands were gone.

Great, now I'm hallucinating. I blame the blood loss for that.

I'm at the window now but I'm just too short to reach climb it, anything I could use to stand on were already consumed by the fire, especially the chest.

I place Catherine on the ground and spit the rock onto my working hand. I held it between my middle and ring fingers and adjust it so that it would be pointing out like a brass knuckle.

I swung it as hard as I could at the glass but all it did was bounce back.

Biting back another curse I tried again and again, my exhausted strength was keeping me from breaking the glass and I growled angrily at the piece of glass.

I took two steps back before lunching my entire body with my fist outstretch, expelling the last of my strength. The glass finally broke and shattered onto the ground in pieces. Catherine was placed just far enough not to get any glass shards to rain on her.

I could feel the cool wind blowing in from the window and I let out a small, tired smile.

I turn around, wanting to pick Catherine up and look for something in this place that could actually aid us in our escape. But that was when my body decided to shut down and told me that it's as far as I could go. Maybe using everything I have on that strike was a foolish idea.

My legs chose this moment to give up on me and I collapsed with a thud. But I managed to spin my body around so that I would land on my back instead of on my face. I couldn't feel any ounce of energy in my body. I lay next to my crying sister, unable to move or make a sound. Too tired to even work up the ability to feel disappointed and frustrated that I was so close to escaping.

I'm still alive somehow but I can't do anything at all in this state. I let out a self-deprecating laugh as I finally realise how futile everything I did to escape was.

I'm just a broken boy who couldn't even save a little girl.

I could hear the wooden floor above us started to give out as cracks appeared all over the ceiling. I let out a tired breath and closed my eyes. Hm…. In hindsight maybe insulting the one who controls who lives or dies was a bad idea after all.

 _'I'm sorry mum, I can't even complete your last request._

 _I'm sorry little potato, I'm a useless big brother who can't even save you even though I promised._

 _But don't worry, you'll be with mum in heaven, I heard that it's a great place to be. Lovely garden, beautiful scenery, delicious food. Hopefully there's Wifi there._

 _Me on the other hand, I think hell's waiting for me. After all, I did murdered a person and escaped the reincarnation cycle once. There's gotta be some sort of punishment for that._

 _I wonder if Satan would object me going to visit you two once in a while….I wound need to sneak pass Cerberus if he didn't want me leaving...maybe I could use one of the skeleton minion as a fetch toy to distract him.'_ I let out a snicker at the thought but eventually my fatigue got the best of me and I stop fighting against the inevitable.

I wanted to let my consciousness fade away, completely give up on staying awake but something stopped me from falling asleep completely. I heard someone's voice calling out. It was getting closer and closer.

I slowly pry open my eyes which took great effort, and the last thing I saw was a burning wooden beam falling straight towards my head.

 **-0-**

 **AN: I kinda wonder if I should change rating to M after this. I mean, what Alex did to the bandit was rather _Gore_ -ious no? Yes, that was a pun and yes, I know it's horrible and no, it's not the first time I used that pun in particular and no, I will no stop.**

 **Here's the question, Holy Grail War or no Holy Grail War. If yes then the fic might be just a bit longer. If no, then it would be shorter. But I'm bad at planning so the entire fic would still be rather short whether or not there's a Holy Grail War. So meh.**

 **If anyone's wondering what the hand holding an orb of fire is, it's Alex's mental trigger to activate his magic circuit. I was originally going for an arrow being drawn on a bow but I was like nah, need something cooler and thus, the hand thing was born.**

 **Anyho, I need to work on my other fic's chapter now because it's been gathering dust for a while now and is way overdue. It's almost finished but I never found motivation to add the finishing touches. I wonder why.**

 **Oh well, thanks for reading, remember to leave a feedback and see you next time (Might take a while considering the fact that I have very short attention span).**


	6. Interlude and Omake

**AN: Someone wanted to know how the village deal with the bandit attack so I might as well.**

 **No, this chapter has nothing to do with after the raid so sorry to those who wanted to know what happened afterwards. Also, Alex won't get much screen time here, just saying.**

 **Good news is there's an Omake XD and Alex gets his screen time there.**

 **I never expected to get 27k words for this chapter so yay? Kinda reminds me for my first ever fanfic that had 30k words in one chapter. I had to split it up.**

 **Warning: My uses of tenses along with my grammar is so bad that if you place my writings in front of Grammar Nazi vampire he would spontaneously petrify himself before crumbling into dust. And I haven't even mention my poor excuse of vocabulary yet.**

 **Warning V2: This chapter is sorta rushed so there might be a few things left out so if you need confirmation of something or have questions ask them in the review so I may answer them in the next chapter. Writing fics while sick sorta makes writing harder than it's suppose to.**

 **Review:**

 **ForteOfTheBallad98 – Yes, I can see him fitting those classes but I wonder if I can make him fit all the classes. He would be like a jack of all trades but that would just be like overpowering him.**

 **Judgment of the Arbiter – You're welcome XD Thanks for reading it.**

 **Guest – Why thank you, hope I can keep your interest.**

 **Aurain Orimura – Ah yes, the little potato. Glad you enjoyed it.**

 **Polymon – Yes, it's raining inside today. Artorias 2.0 is about to be born in this era.**

 **Matrience – You're welcome.**

 **Victory3114 – *Close curtains and look around for any hidden cameras***

 **AddictedtoFanfic – Here, you get to see what happens to Elena.**

 **Faresjojor – can't decide whether for it to be a free for all or a team battle.**

 **Gawain-Knight of the Sun – Noted and being considered**

 **xbox432 – Yes, I can see him trolling other masters for the lawlz XD can't wait to see it happen.**

 **Freshrice01 – I want future chapters to be filled with moe but we all know we can't get what we want.**

 **Xxwarlovexx – Thanks XD**

 **King Keith – Well, I never thought about The HGW taking place in the modern era. Good idea XD**

 **Yu Yuuki – Yes, yes he can. Whether or not he wants to is another matter entirely.**

 **Shin XIX – Sorry, never played Fate/Grand Order so I don't know it there's something like that there.**

 **Lu Bane Na – Yeah, he totally would.**

 **BlackStormReborn – Romance is something I have no experience on. So hard to say whether or not it would be added in here.**

 **Tachello – I don't want it to end too but I doubt it's possible. All things must end at some point. It's either being abandon at the height of it's popularity or a very shitty ending. I don't know which one to choose.**

 **Pensive Rumination Observer – Ninja Sex XD never thought of that. Thanks for telling me all those mistakes by the way and I'll remember not to use any door knobs from now on.**

 **Nomorehiatusplz – Don't worry, I will. Hope you enjoy seeing islands being blown out existance.**

 **-0-**

 **Chapter 6: Interlude and Omake**

 **-0-**

 **Year 1424, March, 21**

 **Hey, remember the teleportation spell that I wrote about two months ago?**

 **I finally completed it!**

 **After so many painstaking hours of trail and error, I finally finished the god damn circle that allows things to be transported to where you wanted it to go. Even living beings! Haha! Sir Pounce-a-lot sure was helpful during that testing period. I had lots of fun dropping him into lakes and ponds though he sure had lots of fun destroying my things in return.**

 **My mentor didn't help at all since she thought it's too dangerous and Merlin is being his perverted self and going after women again instead of trying to help me get it right though I had a suspicion that he wants me to accomplish it on my own while giving hints here and there but what do I know.**

 **While I may agree with my mentor that it's dangerous if you get it wrong(be teleported to your destination while your organs get left behind or have only half your body transported there.) but if you get it right, think of all the awesome things you could accomplish!**

 **You can go anywhere at any time without having to consider the traveling time!**

 **Anyway, I'm going to test long distance travel on myself now since I'm not that cruel to make Sir Pounce-a-lot walk back all the way from where I intended to go. It's at a whole different country. Japan here I come! Wish me luck, whoever that's reading my journal.**

 **-0-**

 **Year 1424, March, 22**

 **Good news, it worked** **but I have no idea where I'm at so** **I asked around only to find that I'm in Italy,** **Florence.** **Well, the coordinates are a** **'** **little** **'** **off but what the heck, it worked and that's all it matters.**

 **B** **ad news,** **I did not think of a way to return.**

 **W** **ill update as soon as** **possible** **.**

 **-** **0-**

 **Year 1424, July, 01**

 **Okay, it's been months since I last updated and I have a confession to make. I might made a teeny weeny mistake during my stay in Italy.**

 **I accidentally created the Mafia.**

 **No, I will not elaborate on how that happen.**

 **They're different from the Mafias that I'm used to seeing. But I'm guessing that it's because it's a medieval version of the Mafia. They do look kinda cool though with their specially designed armor plating and what not. Now if only I can create the flintlock for them to use to complete the whole look.**

 **Anyway, when I say Mafia, one would normally think of the crime syndicate kind that sells drugs and gun down people but the one that I made is completely different. They are like a second police force in the city when the real ones are too shitty at their job. They take justice into their own hands and keep the place safe when the real guards couldn't.**

 **Needless to say, there haven't been any reports of a crime taking place for a while now and would most likely continue on into the foreseeable future.**

 **They'll still kill you if you pissed them off though.**

 **Anyway, plans to return back to Domrémy are going along smoothly and I can leave in a week. Now if only I can get them to stop calling me Godfather….**

 **\- Extracts found on the Mysterious Journal locked away in one of the libraries of the** **Mage's Association.**

 **-0-**

When Roxane Lalande, the Village Elder of Domrémy woke up this morning she expected the day to be calm and unexciting one just like it has been for years. The only thing that she needed to worry about was people having problems in the village like some buildings need fixing and she need to inform the carpenter about it, people arguing with each other and needed to be calmed down, people requesting new additions to be added into the village, those kinda of things that an Elder of a village need to worry about. Oh, and let's not forget the occasional childbirth that she needed to help with. She swears that they have been popping out more than often than they used to. All those problems could easily be solve so it really wasn't that much of a worry.

But now that she actually thought about it, the calm and unexciting life that she had been used to was disrupted two years after a certain someone was born and life has never been the tranquil one that she has enjoyed for many decades. Oh well, at least life is more interesting now, it certainly seemed brighter too rather than the dull monotonous days that everyone kept on repeating and going through.

Alexander Randall, the village prankster. Once he had learned how to walk properly and was allowed outside, she swore that she could see the maddening glee, sparkling in his eyes that just spells mayhem when she was walking past their house by chance. She was there when him stalk out of his residence for the first time of his two year life. The maddening grin that he was sporting did nothing to lessen the feeling of a major headache that she felt was coming.

It was that back then did she realised that the calm and unexciting life that she was so used to would be shattered in the most unexpected way possible. It was almost like watching a hurricane of absolute chaos and randomness being unleashed from it's prison and chains that was holding it back. She had honestly considered resigning the position as the Elder then and there when she saw him walked out of his house but in the end she decided to keep it for now, believing that it couldn't be that bad.

Oh, how wrong she was. How very wrong indeed.

On the first day he was let out, the entire village's buildings was somehow painted with a mass array of colours but no one knew who did it nor did they saw anyone that might have done it, which by itself was a very great feat as there are hundreds of people wandering around the place. And yet no one, not even a single one of the villagers, ever saw the shadow of the person who had a hand in doing it. They all claim to have heard some sort of splashes going off behind them and when they turn around to investigate the noise, they found the building behind them had entirely been caked in coloured liquid.

At the end of the day no one found out who did it but Roxane had her suspicion set on a certain young lad that had a very smug grin on his face that he tried so very hard to hide but failed as he watches everyone running around, trying to find the culprit.

That bright and colourful day marks the end of the peaceful life the entire village once had because the strange happenings didn't stop there day after day, absurd things would happen without any reasons at all. It had become so common to suspect every out of place item in the village that it almost borderlines paranoia. Thankfully, non of his pranks ever went too far.

Life had been pretty interesting ever since, people would be completely alert, searching every corner for what might happen next all while looking for the one responsible. Sadly they never did found who did it. A lady even claimed that her spices were switched around without her knowing when her family told her that everything tasted weirdly, although Roxane had a feeling that she might have just misplaced it in the first place but was too embarrassed to admit it.

All in all, everyone had a good time talking about it once the prank was over and were discussing what might happen next excitedly. Most weren't even mad, merely impressed by the act.

The little rascal eventually got caught when his mother got suspicious about her son's secretive behavior and all the strange things that he's been making behind her back. Since he was the closest to Elena and they seem to be together most of the time she thought that she might know something about Alex's behavior. She eventually use her newest recipe and dangle it in front of Elena. Eyeing the new type of food in front of her with primal hunger in her eyes, Elena immediately sold him out.

Now the pranks won't occur as often as it used to but it still happens. The latest one he managed to do made every male in the village save for Gilbert and Henry suddenly felt itchy all over their body. They were scratching themselves while hopping around like some crazy dance. It didn't last long but it was enough to get a laugh out of those who were watching.

Roxane herself would often wonder how the energetic little rascal managed to do all that without being caught even once. The way he does things is almost like magic. After thinking that she decided to find out whether or not the resident prankster has his magic circuit activated and managed to make his own invisibility spell by accident, which by itself is very unlikely.

She knows that it's not really possible but it doesn't hurt to be sure. In case that she's wrong and he did activate his circuits, she would need to teach him how to use them properly and not abuse it to his liking She would need to inform him of the danger of being seen using Magecraft too.

She didn't want the church to find out about it and for the inquisition to come knocking after all.

No one knows this but Roxane Lalande is indeed, a Magi. To know how she manage to become an Elder for a Village, one must look back to many decades ago.

First she managed to escaped from her country before a witch hunt was initiated many years ago and went into hiding, going to villages and towns to hide from the inquisition until she finally ended up in Domrémy to hide in. When she had arrived here decades ago, she was still young and armed with nothing more than a sack filled with all her valuables, a staff with runes etched onto them and worn robes. She expected to be alienated by the villagers because she was a stranger to the place. They might even be suspicious of her for being a witch and try to catch her or cast her out.

The previous towns and villages that she had visit before coming here all had the same reaction so surely this place wouldn't be any different? But she was wrong. They all welcomed her with open arms, completely unaware or not caring of the fact that she might be a witch. They treated her like she was their own, wanting to help and making it easier for her to ease into the lifestyle.

She was immediately suspicious of them but otherwise decided to stay in the village. As long as they don't try to get rid of her or try to burn her at stake she would not have to leave and find another place to hide in. Back then she thought that she should just let them burn her if they ever found out. After all, she was tired of running away, tired of all the madness, tired of all the lies the church spread about witches being evil and no good could be found in them.

But as she spent months here, she learned that not everyone is a selfish cold-blooded monsters that she was lead to believe. The people here, they're good people. They even defended her when one of the mercenaries that was passing by the village and had rented a room in the inn. One of them got a bit too drunk and a bit too touchy for her liking.

They protected her, a stranger from another place, from a company of mercenary that are heavily armed to the teeth even though they were just civilians. 'We protect our own and since you lived here that means you're one of us, no matter how distant you try to be.' Those were the words that was spoken by the previous Elder of the village, who was a young man in his twenties at that time, when she asked why they protected her. Her view of the place changed slowly after that. No longer did she view the place as somewhere she needed to jump ship the moment things get bad but rather, she started to think of it as home, a place where she could finally settle down without any worries until the whole witch hunt mumbo jumbo blows over. She even started to participate on the special events that was held once in a while and truth be told, she haven't had that much fun in years.

Originally that was the plan, wait until things are more settled down so she can go searching for more knowledge about the supernatural without fear of being hunt down but like always, things didn't always go as planned in life.

Out of all the thing that could happen to make her stay, she just had to fall in love with Max, the Elder. And apparently she wasn't the only one to have fallen in love because apparently, he too felt the same way towards her. They had no idea how to deal with the subject because as neither of them had been in love before. She was also a Magi and that tend to make things complicated.

They were skirting around each other ever since, not knowing what to do and when their eyes met they would instantly look away, fidgeting or blushing. This went on for a while and eventually, the entire village got tired of them trying to avoid each other and came up with a plan to get them together.

After that, a whole bunch of random things that keep happening to her whenever she's near Max. To list it off, it started off simple, she would most likely be pushed towards him for no reason at all and they would bump into each other, then they would meet up more often than not because she keeps getting asked to go do something for someone only to find out that Max got asked to do the same thing as well.

When it wasn't enough for them to get together the people of Domrémy decided to kick it up a notch. She would find herself locked in an enclosed room with him or get into situation where they would get tangled up together. And when that wasn't enough they went even further. She woke up naked next to Max one day and the last thing she remembered was taking a drink that was offered to her by another housewife.

They didn't do the deed though, she checked. They were most likely knocked out and striped before dumping onto the same bed. Things got _very_ awkward after that.

To make a long story short, they got married in the end.

Life have been great and full of wonders ever since but she still wanted to continue studying the supernatural just for the sake of knowing. It had always been her interest and hobby. But she didn't want anyone to find out that she's actually a magus so she made up the entire witch thing to keep the kids entertained or in place and the suspicion off her whenever she have to do something that involves the Moonlit World like when she had to set a boundary field or two around the village to keep it from being noticed and targeted by bandits. This is her home now after all, she would need to pitch in to keep it safe.

But good things don't always last. After her husband passed away, she was handed the mantle of the Elder and he made her promise to do everything she can to make it a better place. She resolve herself to fulfill his last request and did everything she could to make life easier for everyone, even if she needs to use a spell or two to make the village prosper. And that is the short story of how Roxane Lalande became the village Elder.

Anyway, she wanted to use a basic spell that was created to check the inner working of things called Structural Analysis on the boy. She accidentally bump into him one day and when her hands touched his shoulder, she activated the spell to check his body for any hints that might point to him having activated his circuits. She found out that he's completely normal. His circuits are dormant like everyone esle's who had them, albeit a bit higher quality and numbers for someone who didn't come from any of the magical families but it's not that unusual. It's a rare thing but it happens.

After that she cease to do anything that involves Magecraft near the boy. She didn't want to accidentally kick start his circuits by giving him too much exposure to the Moodlit World.

She had a feeling that the kid could be a great Magus himself if he ever activates his circuits, his mind works differently than most people around here and without a doubt he would be able to accomplish great things. But whether or not he would activated them is a whole different matter. Roxane would want the kid to live his life normally and never even catch a whiff of the supernatural because to be a Magus is to walk with death himself. It's just not right for a child to go through so much hardship that is something she knew best because she herself had been though it…that and the fact that she wouldn't dare think what kind of chaos he would cook up once he learned magic.

Even if she did warn him about not letting people find out about it He would most certainly use it without being seen. Hell, he managed to get so much done without it any speck of magic at all and most of the things seem ridiculously impossible to perform without the aid of it and yet, he still manage to do it, without being seen too. Knowing the sheer multitude of mayhem that would be unleashed once he learned even the most simplest spell was enough to make Roxane do everything she could to stop him from ever awakening his circuits.

So, with everything said, she expected today to be somewhat entertaining if Alex came up with another prank to unleash upon the village. Sadly that was not to be because ever since she woke up she somehow has a feeling of foreboding that's been nagging at the back of her head. She haven't had that feeling for a long time. The last time she got it was when a bunch of villagers that was about to knock down her door to chase her out. Thankfully, she was long gone before they even converge in front of her house.

Another clue of whats to come was when she was about to have her morning tea and her favorite cup cracked even when she haven't even touched it yet. She tried to pass it off as a coincidence but otherwise choose to remained alert for the day.

Later, after she had left her home and locked it, she though she would wander around to village to see if anyone has any problems. Maybe she might even caught Alex in the act today, after all she is rather curious on how he managed to do what he did.

When she reached the village bad new struck and her heart turned heavy when one of the young lad in the village passed on the reports from Watchtowers. People wearing cloaks were spotted lurking around the forest a far distance away from the village. From what was described of them, they were constantly peaking out to of the edges of the forest before returning back to hide behind the trees. Their numbers seem to be growing but there's no certainty about it yet.

Roxane thought that it couldn't be a raid as they never had one ever since she had set up the boundary field. It was made to keep people with malicious intent from noticing the place or pass it off as a place that's not even worthy of their time. The boundary field is still in effect and would most likely still be active decades after she had passed away as long as the Ley line around Domrémy remained disrupted.

But if there are bandits eyeing the village even with the field set up that would mean...someone had ordered them to target this village in particular and they would do it even if the place doesn't even seem noteworthy.

The final nail in the coffin came when the village prankster himself came running, looking like he had seen a ghost. There's one thing that Roxane is absolutely certain about the lad is that he's someone that's hard to scare. Being stare down by adults three times his size won't even faze him and he would admit his wrong doings without batting an eye as long as it's something he really did. But this time, he looked absolutely terrified as he ran towards her when she was asking Tomas if he had noticed anything suspicious going on in the forest as he was a poacher and would venture out into the woods to catch games.

After hearing what Alex had to say and sending Tomas away, she tried calming him down and get his attention away from the looming problem. Though she doubt she managed to do much seeing that he's still somewhat uneasy about the entire thing. After he had left, Roxane's expression now bears a weary look as she let out a sigh. Her eyes dart to the horizon as she starts to think of a way to keep the village safe. There's much to be done now if they ever wanted to survive a raid. She hopes that the village militia haven't gotten rusty over the years of peace but for now, it's time to gather the adults for a meeting.

 **-0-**

A dozen or so people were all gathered at one of the gazebo in the plaza in the village, all of them men of various ages, all considered to be full grown adults. They were all part of the militia, willingly joined and would do everything that they could to protect their home. Not everyone from the militia was here because some were sent searching for the scout in the village. The roof was shielding them against the sun, their somber looks were being enhanced by the shade shadowing over their faces. They were sitting on the benches placed there while Roxane was standing in front of them, her staff held in one hand like a walking stick. They would usually gathered here whenever a meeting was called to discuss things of great importance.

Roxane had already informed them of what's to come and told them all to prepare accordingly. Everyone's reaction was different from the other. Some didn't want to believe, others were panicking and a few were outraged by the mere thought of their home being pillaged by bandits. Oddly enough, Gilbert Hector and Henry Randall remained quiet throughout the entire thing.

But right now everyone is silent, they were all waiting for Tomas and the few others that went searching for the bandit scout. If they did managed to capture him then maybe they could get some answered out from him, get a grasp of what they're dealing with instead of just waiting patiently for them to attack. The air was thick with tension, one so thick that it couldn't even be cut with a sharp blade. The silence in the area was constantly being disrupted by the happy laughter of children as they run around the plaza playing.

They didn't have to wait long.

The ones that they were waiting for returned with bad news. They didn't managed to find the scout but the watchtower reported that they saw a cloaked figure leave the village and head towards the forest. It dawn on them that they had lost their only source of information for the upcoming battle.

The group of people immediately burst into chatter upon hearing the news. Roxane could tell what they were feeling right now. They were scared and angry at the same time. Scared of the upcoming conflict and angry at the people who were coming to harm their home. Because of her, there haven't been any sense of danger for years, it had made them so used to the peace that they are unsure of what to do during times of conflict. The guilt gnawed on her heart, never ceasing as it burrow deeper and deeper into her being as she watch as the men in front of her act like lost lambs.

Right now they're completely in a loss of what to do, they have been trained to deal with people that wanted to do the village harm but it they were only drills with training weapons. This generation had never seen human blood being spilled before and now they will have to spill it themselves in order to keep their home safe.

The grip on her staff tightened as everyone continue to talk all at once. Nothing noteworthy was being said, just panicked jabbering. None of them were in the right state of mind to properly assess to the situation. She could feel a budding headache coming her way and everyone seem like they aren't going to contribute anything useful right now.

"Enough!" her voice was loud and stern, silencing everyone in the area like a roar of a mighty beast. Everyone just looked at her in bewilderment. "If non of you are going to say something useful then stay silent." she let out a breath and her grip loosen as she told them that. She tap her staff on the ground once and turn her harden gaze upon them.

"First things first, we still don't know when they would attack today or in the future." she told them though she doubt that they would wait until tomorrow if they're gathering at such a fast rate. War has a way of generating marauders. People that deserted from armies, people whose live was ruin by it and needed a way to survive, people who just wants to cause pain and suffering on others. They would ban together to survive in times like this, completely disregarding the lives of others and doing what they want or needed to do as long as they get what they want.

"But just to sure, what kind of weapons do we have in stock right now." she asked everyone in the gazebo, her eyes looking over all of them. She needed to arm everyone here, she haven't checked the armory for years, thinking that the boundary field is enough to keep the place safe. How arrogant she was to think that way.

"W-well, we do have pitchforks that we cou-" one of them spoke up but was interrupted by another.

"Pitchforks!? What are we going to do with that? Poke them to death!?"

"Well I'm gonna poke you to death if you don't yer trap" another shouted out.

"Quiet! Both of you!" Roxane snapped, her eyes twitched in annoyance. "You're not children anymore and if we are going to be attacked then you all need to be as mature as you can be to keep everyone else safe. Let's not forget that the children and women here are depending on you to protect them." She chided them, making the two that were shouting at each other look down in shame and at the same time making those who were listening harden their resolve to defend their home.

"Alright then." she begins. "What do we have to use to defend ourselves." she asked again.

"Well, there's the pitch-"

"Please, enough with the pitchforks. Unless you can poke the bandits in the head at the first try then it's mostly useless." Roxane rolled her eyes at the suggestion.

"We have spears and short swords but they have been left in the armory to gather dust for a while now. No one had to time to properly maintain them nor had we ever thought about it." one guy spoke up.

"I have a few swords left in the back that I haven't sold to any travelers yet." Gilbert spoke up and quite a few that were in the gazebo listed out things that they have that are more useful in everyday life than fighting against bandits.

"Alright, alright." Roxane wave her hand to stop them from listing out what amount to be daily utensils they have as weapons.

"Gather what you can use that's sharp or pointy and place them here. Gilbert, you'll have to put any order you have on hold for the day. I'll need you to sharpen whatever was gathered here and I need them done by the end of the day. Can you do that?" Roxane gaze at Gilbert and he nodded.

"Good, I want the watchtower guards to be doubled and the patrols to be alert at all times. Tell them to have eyes watching the forest at all times to see what the bandits are up to. If they do attack during the day then rush towards the smithy to collect the weapons even if they weren't sharpened yet. But if they still haven't come to attack our village yet then I want you all to come back here in the evening to collect the weapons and keep it nearby just in case you need it."

"Elder, what are we suppose to do until then?" one of them asked.

Roxane closed her eyes to think for a moment before reopening them. "Spread the news about a possible raid to the rest of the adults but keep the children in the dark about it. Tell those who can't fight to be prepared to evacuate to the church at any moments notice with the children once the attack started and tell those who can to be prepared for a fight. Gather whatever medical supplies our village have right now and transport them to the church if you can because we will need them. The bandits would most likely attack at night so keep the braziers well lid so we could see who's who in the dark."

Roxane suddenly snapped her fingers as she thought of something. "How are the traps doing?" she asked out loud.

"Which ones?" Tomas asked in curiosity. There were plenty of traps, ones for hunting and ones for keeping pests out of the village.

"The one surrounding the village. The spike pit holes that Alexander suggested two years ago." Roxane told him.

"Ah, those. They were build long ago but since we were never attacked, it was never tested out and left hidden by the dirt. They should be in working condition." Tomas answered.

"To think we would actually take a kids idea to heart." one of the man shook his head with a laugh.

"But it's a great idea no?" another answered him.

"Yes, and to think we would actually use them now."

"Great, I want the trapdoors to those traps to be loosen so that they would fall the moment they step on it."

"Aye aye Elder." Tomas replied.

"Alright then, this meeting is concluded." Roxane claps her hand. "Do what you can to keep the place safe gents and remember not to let any of the children to find out."

A chorus of ayes and yes shot out from the crowd and Roxane watch as the men rose from the benches and left the gazebo. She watch as the men leave at their own pace. She had known those men since they were wee little lads, she had watch them grow up into fine adults they are now. Her expression soon turned into one of sorrow as her heart started sinking heavily in her chest. She knew that if the bandits do attack then some of them won't make it back, leaving behind their family in the process.

The thought of losing people that she had know for so many years is heart wrenching but she knew that it was unavoidable. But she knew that she couldn't mope around all day about it instead of doing something to keep those men alive. Roxane took a deep breath before her grip on her staff tightens. Her eyes shine with resolve as she walk out of into the sun, she will protect this place, no matter what.

 **-0-**

Seeing that there's nothing left to do but wait, Roxane decided to head home for now. There should be something she could cook up to keep the villagers safe. If she was there during the raid then she could at least use Gandr, a simple curse originating from Scandinavia, on the bandits to decreases their physical health so that the villagers would have an easier time overpowering them but they would need to be within her field of vision to be aimed at otherwise it won't hit.

That would mean finding an excuse to stay behind rather that heading towards the church for safety. Maybe she could manipulate their memories after the entire thing was over. She really didn't like using that spell because it was risky. Numerous things could go wrong she didn't even know where to start listing them.

She would also need to prepare something in case the bandits decides to raze the entire village to the ground once they're done with it. Something to combat the fires and keep them from spreading. Thankfully, she had something just for that.

She stopped in front of her porch, her eyes noticing that something was different here and she looked down beneath her feet. She saw two set of footprints running around the place and she let out a small smile at the sight of it. Looks like Alex and Elena were here again. Lately they have been getting good at sneaking to her home but it still proves to be rather fruitless if they can't get in. She had made her boundary field around her home to register their presence as friendly because they always managed to sneak their way there. It was getting rather tiring to hear the alarm go off all the time and rush back thinking that someone was there only to find two kids trying to see if they could enter her home.

She walks up to the porch, ignoring the patches of dirt on the stairs left behind by the kids and head towards the door, thinking that she would clean that up later. The moment she entered through the front door she was greeted by the sight of her living room. It was a large room but rather cramp because of all the things inside, furniture, books stacked up high at every corner and a cozy fire place for her to sit next to when it gets cold and near it was a nice comfy looking wooden chair with a small round table next to it to place books or her tea set, though it's currently empty right now.

She didn't took two steps in before she heard the sound of childish laughter and a panicked shriek. A small smile formed on her face as she continue to walk towards the wooden chair that was placed near the fire place.

"She's back!" she heard one of voices said. "I'm gonna go tell her."

"Wait! No!" another child like voice pleaded desperately.

Once she sat down, she let her staff lean on the small round table next to the chair. She rest her head against the wooden frame and place her arms on the armrest, letting her old weary bones relax. It didn't take long for her to noticed something heading towards her at the corner of her eye. She slightly turn her head to see what it was and was greeted by two small floating entities that's just small enough to fit in one's palm. They were darting towards her from another room. One was soaring excitedly towards her while the other was bobbing up and down almost like it's hesitating. The one that was bobbing was glowing faintly while the other didn't glow at all.

"Well, what's got you so excited Aqua? What is it that you're going to tell me?" Roxane addressed the entity that was flying towards her in high speed. Said entity stopped right in front of Roxane's face, almost crashing into her before floating back a few inches to gain more distance.

Upon closer inspection you could see that the entity actually took the shape of a small female child. She has a lovely appearance with a chibi doll like face and long wavy hair that reach to the back of her legs but it was floating in the air just like her, making it look like she's actually submerge in the water. She's wearing what looks like a sundress that reach to her knees while completely barefoot. The dress had a small lotus flower attached on the middle her chest area. She even wore a small lotus like a hair clip the right side of her head. But it's shape was the only thing that resembles a human child as It's body was entirely made out of water, even the clothes and flowers were just shaped that way from her body to give the appearance that she's wearing something.

The little child like being in front of her is an Elemental, a type of Nature Spirit that is born from nature such as plants, soil, gemstones, natural phenomenons. Normally, Nature Spirits can't be seen by normal humans however there are those who evolve into a magnitude where they can be perceived by people. They become what is known as Elementals by wearing humans' imagination as shells, hence her appearance right now.

Aqua, true to her name, landed on her table next to her with her tiny feet. Her body made a soft sploshing sound when she did, like someone just placed a cup of water down too fast and the water inside splash against the sides of the cup.

She turn and look up towards Roxane, her face full of mischief and excitement as she place both her hands behind her back. "Blaze let himself be seen by a human child this morning." she informed her with a wolfish grin as she sway her body back and forth on her heels, her voice flow with soft and gentle lit but had a cherry tone in it, completely suited for her form as a child. If you listen closely, you can hear a soft echo from her words, like she's talking inside an empty room.

Roxane's eyes widen considerably as she process what she had just heard. This is bad, who knows what kind of rumours would be spread throughout the village if the child that saw them runs his or her mouth. But her boundary field didn't go off and the only children that had been here was Alex and Elena. From what she know of them over the years, Elena is scared of ghost and the likes and would most probably try and convince herself that she's just seeing things. Alex, on the other hand, is wild card. She can't predict what he would do if he saw Blaze…. On second thought, she completely knew what he would do if he ever saw Blaze. He would probably try to borrow what he had seen and use it in one of his pranks.

She bury her face in one of her hand as she let out a sigh. She could already imagine it, Alex walking up to her door and asking if he could borrow the glowing thingy that he saw. They would probably get along well and become the best of friends all while scaring people out of their wits when they saw strange glowing light popping up here and there.

Roxane let her hand drop and her eyes caught sight of something glowing trying to float away from her sight as slowly as it could so it doesn't attract her attention. She turn to watch it sneak away, her eyes narrowing as she did so. "Blaze, don't you think that you could run away from this." she informed the other Elemental that was attempting to escape the room.

Blaze, a male fire Elemental that is completely made out of fire, seemingly making him look like a glowing small orb in a distance. Blaze took the shape of a male human child. He also had a chibi doll like face while his hair was constantly flickering on his head because it's made out of flames. It was constantly dancing on top of his head, making it's looked like there's a bonfire on his head. He's wearing an unbuttoned vest with nothing underneath and baggy trousers caught in at the ankle while completely barefooted. He has what looked like a strap of cloth tied up onto his right upper arm. His clothes were also just part of his body shaped into the shape of clothes to give him the appearance that he's wearing something.

Right now, Blaze's expression is akin to a deer caught in the torch's light as he froze in his escape. Aqua was giggling childishly at the sight before she sat down on the edge of the table to observe to see what would happen next. Blaze slowly turned around before scratching the back on his head sheepishly with a small laugh. "Ahahaha….oops?" Blaze's voice sounded just like a child's but you can hear the crackling of fire from him.

Roxane could only let out another sigh at his antics. Blaze was always the one that got into trouble while Aqua is the more cautious one. She gesture for him to come over and he complied, looking rather guilty and embarrassed at the same time. Blaze landed right next to Aqua, his fire like body would have set the table on fire with just a touch but years of practice has made it so that the things that he made contact with would only feel slightly warm instead of combusting like they used to. And boy, did it take a lot of years for him to get it right. She lost count of how many furniture that needed to be replace just because he wasn't careful.

Her eyes gaze over both of the Elementals that's on the table, both the size of an orange and while they could change their size at will, they find it easier to hide from view when they're smaller. Both were looking at her with different emotions etched onto their faces. Aqua looked rather amused at the situation while Blaze looked guilty that he let himself get seen by a human.

Aqua and Blaze, her oldest friends and companions. She had made a contract with both of them when she was still a teen when she was still traveling so that they would be her familiars. They had been with her for a very long time, they have bonded throughout the years and not once have they ever left her side. With how childish they act at times, it quite easy to forget that they were suppose to be older than her.

She shook her head slightly when she thought back to the times when they were out adventuring and all the things that they have done together. A small smile escape her lips before it was gone when she remembered the current problem at hand. Roxane's eyes sharply narrowed at the fire Elemental, like how a grandmother would to her grandkids when they misbehave, causing the centuries old spirit to fidget in his spot while he suddenly found the speck of dust near his feet to be very intriguing.

"Blaze, how on earth did you let yourself get seen by someone?" Roxane asked in a patient tone.

"It's not my fault, he caught me by surprise! He was leaving already so I thought it was safe to float around again but then he suddenly turn around without any warning." Blaze stated, his arms swinging up and down frantically, almost swatting Aqua if she didn't move away.

"He? So Alex was the one that saw you then." Roxane murmured as she thought about the boy she saw this morning. He was in complete panic when he was talking about the scout that he saw, there was no mention of seeing a glowing light. With any luck he would be too distracted to remember what he had seen at her home.

"Yeah, the black haired boy. I swear, it's like he has a sixth sense that lets him know when he's being watched. He did it plenty of times before when we were watching him leave." Blaze grumbled as he cross his arms in front of his chest.

"With the amount of pranks that he managed to pull off without even being seen, I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Roxane let out a chuckle as she thought about it. "Well, we shouldn't have to worry about it since he didn't seem to mention anything about a glowing light when I saw him this morning. We have another problem that needs to be solve immediately."

Aqua tilt her head questioningly as she place a finger on her cheek and spoke up "What kind of problem?"

Roxane's expression turned serious as she lean back on her chair, her eyes gazing at the unlit fireplace as she taps her finger on the armrest on her chair. "We are expecting a raid." she told them.

"What!" "No way!" both of them cried out, eyes wide with surprise washing over their faces. They were so shocked that they shot themselves up from the table and into the air without realising it.

"But didn't you already set up a boundary field so that it won't happen?" Aqua asked in concern as she floats in place while Blaze descend back onto the table.

"Yes I did. The village should not even be noticed or even considered a worth while target by those with malicious intent. They would look at the place and see that it's nothing more than a poor run down village where everyone was struggling to meet end's meet and they would feel completely unmotivated to even enter the place the closer they get to it." Roxane answered her.

"Then why did they still choose this place though?" Blaze rubs his chin in deep thought.

Roxane had her suspicion but without proof, it might as well be wild speculations. "I don't know, but for now we need to do whatever we can to keep the place safe." she told them, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Aqua nodded as she bail up her fist and place both of them on her hips. "Don't worry Master, we'll do what we can to keep this place safe. We've gotten attached to this place after so long so this is our home as much as yours too you know." she declared proudly, puffing up her chest with her eyes closed and smiled as she had a look of confidence on her face.

Blaze just scratch the back of his head. "Well, I'll try to do what I can I guess?" he sounded unsure of himself. "Honestly though, I'm only good at burning things so I don't know if I can help that much during a raid without revealing myself or for the villagers to wonder why the bandits were spontaneously combusting for no reason."

Aqua drops down next to Blaze and started patting him on the back sympathetically. Since they made of fire and water, the moment their bodies made contact with each other, a sizzling sound was heard and with each pat, a trail of steam could be seen coming from Aqua's hand. Even though they're both the opposite element of each other, there doesn't seem to be any ill effect from the contact and they both didn't seem care about the noise it made.

"There, there old friend. I'm only good at controlling water so I'm pretty much in the same boat as you." Aqua let out a sigh before she started floating away into the air and landed on top of Roxane's staff. "Master, what do you think we should do then? The best I can do is conjure water and shoot it at people." Aqua frown at her inability to protect her home without alerting people of the supernatural.

Roxane smiled and pat Aqua on the head with a finger, causing her to let out a giggle while Blaze just look on while pouting jealously. Roxane's finger became wet with the contact but she didn't mind. "Don't worry you two, there's always another way to help. We just need to figure out what it is." she told them as she lift her finger from Aqua's head and place her arm by the armrest.

"But first things first, we need to know what we're dealing with." Roxane began in a serious tone. "Aqua, I need you to go to the forest at the far east side of the village. Try and find out how many bandits there are and what are they armed with. Listen in to their plans if you can and don't get spotted."

Aqua balled up her tiny fists as she place them under her chin and nodded energetically. Roxane switch her focus towards Blaze and saw him perk up as he thought that he would get to do something to help. "I'm sorry Blaze but you would be seen too easily so I can't have you running around in the forest." Roxane gave him an apologetic look as he slouch over with a dejected look on his face. The glow he was emitting seem to become dimmer as he sat down and bury his face into his knees and started sulking.

"Blaze, you don't have to feel sad just because you can't do anything properly since you're made out of fire." Aqua tries to cheer him up but it had the opposite effect as Blaze started sulking harder, creating a patch of cloud above his head as the glow around him become dimmer.

"Besides, even if you did come with me, you might burn the forest down by accident if you ever forget to keep your heat in check." Aqua added, completely unaware of how her words are affecting him. There was a strike of lightning coming from the clouds before it started raining. Since Blaze was right under it, his body started evaporating the water and making sizzling sounds whenever a drop of rain touches his body.

"Aqua, please think about what you're going to say before saying them." Roxane chided but you could hear the amusement in her tone. Aqua just look confuse as she tilt her head inquiringly at Roxane, silently asking her what she meant.

Roxane just shook her head with a smirk. Ever after so many years Aqua still have no tact in the art of conversation. Her words often would be blunt to the point where it could crush a person's will or sharp enough to cut though a person's soul. Her excuse would be 'Why skirt around the subject with pretty words when you can just tell them what you think?'

And since her the only people she could talk to besides Roxane is Blaze, his ego would always be the one that was hurt whenever Aqua said something without thinking, like right now. The once proud Elemental has been reduced into a child with self esteem issues. Thankfully, having years of experience of cheering him up because of Aqua, Roxane knew just the thing to get him back up and running again.

"Don't worry Blaze, There's something I want you to do and I trust that it is something that you will be good at. Manipulating fire." Roxane told him in a grandmotherly tone.

The clouds immediately dispersed and Blaze shot back up, beaming brightly at her, lighting up the entire area. It might have something to do with his body glowing brightly right now.

"Huh, so there actually is something you could do. I thought you were only good for starting fires." Aqua said out loud as she place a finger on her chin and tilt her head.

And just like that, Blaze collapsed into a fetal position and was being rained upon again.

"Aqua." Roxane chided with a disapproving frown.

"Right, right." she said as she walk next to Blaze's collapsed form and crouch down to place a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be sad Blaze, at least we finally get to find out what else you could do besides lighting fires and burning things down." she told him, earning a whimper from Blaze.

"Aqua, if you're done destroying the fragile remains of his nearly snuffed out ego, I would like to get the conversation moving again."

"What?" Aqua just look confuse again but move away from Blaze nonetheless.

"*Ahem*" Roxane cough into her hand to get the attention of both the Elemental on now wet table, thankfully she didn't leave any books on it. "Now as I was saying, Blaze, I need you to keep the braziers in the village lit and keep the fire bigger than it's suppose to be but not too big to be considered out of place by the people. We need to keep the area well illuminated so that we could see what's going on. You can mess with the bandits and keep them confuse as long as no one else saw what you were doing."

"Yes ma'am" Blaze shot up from his fetal position and did a salute by placing his right fist over where his heart would be if he had one "I'll need to disperse and spread my influence all over the village so I won't be back until the job's done."

"With all that said, time to get to work." Roxane claps her hand together, causing Aqua and Blaze to float up from the table and flew towards the window. Aqua stops right before she were about to go pass the open widow and turn around, letting Blaze head on first. "I'll be back soon." She waved cheerily before flying out.

Roxane watch them go, her eyes never leaving the window until their small figure disappear into the distance completely. She close her eyes and let out a sigh, silently praying that they wouldn't cause too much trouble when they're out there.

She thought about the upcoming disaster with a scowl on her face, thinking of ways that she could help to reduce the damage and casualties to her home. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought that she's getting too old for this. Maybe she should have retired the moment Alex walked out of his house for the first time.

 **-0-**

Time passed slowly for Roxane as she waited patiently for everyone to arrive while sitting on one of the benches under the gazebo. The roof was providing a decent shade that's keeping the heat and sunlight off her. Her eyes gazed into the distance, watching the people go on with their lives like they normally would but something was different with the atmosphere now. The tension was visible in the air, everyone would be moving more carefully, their eyes would dart around looking for things that aren't there. The kids would wonder why the adults are acting weird but nonetheless continue on with their fun and games. Their childish laughter that echoed throughout the place was constantly clashing with the unease that hang in the air.

She had spent hours thinking of ways to protect the place but most of her spells are extremely dangerous and the villagers would get caught up in them. She is limited to a few basic spells and Gandr. Not as much as she'd like but it will have to do. She couldn't do too much for it would attract the wrong kind of attention and in turn bring in the inquisition. If they ever came knocking they will probably kill everyone in the village for harboring a witch for so long.

They would most likely claim that they were being controlled by foul magic and needed to be purged. No one would be spared from them, she had seen it before. Entire village razed to the ground, it's inhabitants slaughtered like cattle and nothing would remain. They would claim that they did it in the name of God and the people were beyond saving but in truth, the ones that joined the inquisition were all just psychopaths that wanted to kill for their sick pleasure.

It often makes her wonder who the real monsters are in this world.

Roxane let out a sigh, she can't let her people go through all that just because of her. The only reason why the villagers are so used to peace was because of her too. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw the village Blacksmith pushing a wheelbarrow filled with makeshift weapons inside towards the gazebo.

Gilbert place the wheelbarrow in the middle before he dumps it all into a pile. Once that's done, he put away the wheelbarrow before he pick a random bench and immediately fall asleep on it. Roxane just look at him sadly, it must have been hard, trying to sharpen so many weapons in a limited amount of time. She would need to thank him properly once everything's over.

She stood up from her seat and walk over to the pile. Her eyes twitched in annoyance when she saw something very noticeable sticking out of it. Apparently, he still didn't get the message that Pitchforks are useless as weapons.

Roxane let out a sigh, she realised that she's been doing it a lot today, as she crouch down and place her hand on the piles of weapons. She turn her head to look at Gilbert and found him snoring away, his snores reverberate the area, causing nearby birds to fly away.

Seeing that he's completely out of it, she turn her attention back to the pile of weapons and turn on her circuits. It's time to give her people another advantage. Once she uses structural analysis to get a good grasp of the inner structure of all the weapons in the pile. She focus on pouring her prana into the weapons, filling the every opening she could find to strengthen it.

She's using a magic spell called called Reinforcement. It is the most difficult Magecraft with the purpose of pushing a basis to the utmost limit by pouring Magical Energy into it. Everything can be reinforced but it is difficult and near impossible to reinforce something vague. Success requires a good grasp of the inner structure to fill openings with Magical Energy, hence the structural analysis she used earlier. Failure to get it right or the object in question is already complete, it would receive the Magical energy as a poison, destroying it form the inside. An example would be overflowing a cup with Prana and thus causing it to shatter.

Reinforcing the purpose of existence would be increasing the sharpness of a knife, the nourishment of food, or in the case of a living creature, physical strength and durability. In this case, she's making everything sharper and sturdier so that it could slice through things easier.

But she's no expert in Reinforcement and so she could only enchant the weapons in the pile to a small degree or risk failing and shattering everything. But it should be enough to cut through some leather armor and flesh with ease.

She could feel the drain in her Prana reserves as did the finishing touches before removing her hand from the pile. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she stood up and went back to her seat. Her reinforcement should last quite a while and if she's lucky, it would last until tomorrow so she shouldn't have to walk around the village and reinforcing them again.

Now it's back to the hard part, waiting. Oh, how she loathed it. Too much time to think would just make her worry more. Roxane wished that there's something she could to do take her mind off things but there's nothing that need her immediate attention. All the other tasks were already done before coming here. She had already done what she can to help, a few spells here and there to make a calming aura around the village, making it so that the people wouldn't panic too much once the attack happened and in turn making evacuation easier and quicker. A very large sensory spell added to the boundary field so that she would be informed of everyone's location in the village. Now she could tell if there's a person lagging behind during the evacuation and where the bandits are entering from, sadly it can't be used to differentiate between villagers and bandits as that spell would take at least two days to prepare.

It's always the waiting that she hated. It gave her too much time to think. Her mind would always think of all the bad things that would happen instead of the good ones and it would increase her worry. At times like these she wish that something would happen to keep her mind off the problem at hand.

" _Master~"_ Aqua's voice shot out from the back of her head.

Apparently her wish has been granted.

" _Aqua, what did you find?"_ Roxane asked through the link provided by their contract. She rest her back against the bench and stare into the horizon, watching the slowly setting sun go under the mountains. She could see the adults telling the children to go back inside already and soon the streets would be a dead silence, devoid of all life as everyone huddles inside of their homes in fear and confusion.

" _Bandits, duh."_ Roxane could feel her rolling her eyes through the link.

" _You know what I mean."_

" _Right, right. So far I counted over a hundred all spread out throughout the forest. The weapons they have are swords and knifes, some have clubs but there are no bows in sight."_

Roxane bit her lips in worry. Over a hundred….can the militia handle that kind of number? It's too late to add anymore defenses into the village, now all she could do is hope that she could do something during the raid. _"Have you heard anything useful?"_ she asked.

" _Aye."_ She exclaimed energetically. _"They said they're striking tonight."_

Roxane's heart dropped to her stomach. She close her eyes and lean her head back before she let out a very, very long sigh. Again, she noticed that she has been sighing a lot today.

" _Master."_ Blaze's voice called out _"I'm covering the entire village now and is connected to the fires all over the place. I will be able to sense who's where and what they're doing if they're close to any of the fires."_

" _Alright, thanks for telling me Blaze."_ She told him, sounding exhausted already.

" _Hey, what am I suppose to do now?"_ Aqua asked curiously.

" _Just, keep an eye on the bandits and tell me when they started to move."_

" _Kay~."_ She replied chirpily.

Roxane could feel the two go silent and her thoughts return to the upcoming future. Thankfully, it wasn't long before everyone from the militia started gathering. Now she just has to assign people to their position and go over what to do in case things go wrong. Hopefully she can convince that one man that keeps insisting on using the pitchfork to use something else.

 **-0-**

After the meeting, everyone went to their respective places and patrols were done in groups. The sun had already set, showing the night sky filled with stars. The village's brazier's has been lit, lighting up the place so that one may see where they're going. Thanks for Blaze, the fires were larger than it normally would be, illumining the streets more than it normally would. Thankfully, no one noticed as their minds were too preoccupied about other things. Good news is that she actually managed to talk the man out of using his pitchforks and use a spear instead.

Roxane was walking around the village, opting to let the cool wind brush against her body rather than just inside a building. She could station herself in one place and rest while waiting for the raid to start so she could help but her heart was uneasy, not allowing her to rest even for a moment. Knowing that she would not be able to get a last minute rest in, she decided to take one last look around the place before it inevitably gets badly damaged during the fighting.

It was then did her Boundary field informed her that someone has entered the village from one of the gates. Seeing that the bell hasn't been rung yet and no one seems to be shouting anything, she assumed that the person was friendly.

She continue walking until she noticed that the person was approaching her from behind. She turn around to see who it was and found that Jacques d'Arc was coming her way. A look of worry was etched onto his face. He approached her with a gait of a man on a mission, heavy steps all the way, looking determined and worried at the same time.

"Jacques, shouldn't you be with your family?" Roxane ask in concern once he got close enough. While his home may be far away from the village it doesn't mean it wouldn't be targeted. Now that she thought about it, Joey told her that he asked Durand to inform the d'Arcs about the raid. She thought that he would have bunker down with them and spent the night there. But she certainly didn't expect Jacques to come here at all.

"They'll be fine. Durand's there and they had already gone fortified the place. No one's close to the place without having to deal with a lot of farm animals trying to maul them to death. Elena trained them well." Jacques told her with a straight face.

Roxane raise an eyebrow at that. "Farm animals?" she asked, confusion and disbelief leaking into her voice.

"Aye, not sure how but Elena managed to turn them into a well trained army that can be very vicious when they want to be. The horses, cows, sheep, dogs, cats and even the chicken are spread throughout the farm, waiting to ambush any bandits that will come." Jacques told her, his face ever so serious.

Roxane was having trouble believing what she was hearing but she choose not to ask too much right now. For now she wants to focus on the problem at hand, how Elena managed to train the animals like that is something that can be put off until later. Honestly, those kids keep surprising her everyday. What's next? Alex is actually someone from another world? That's just ridiculous.

"But why are you here Elder? Shouldn't you be in the church where it's safe?" Jacques asked finally asked while Roxane was busy musing.

"I'll be fine boy. I've lived way longer than you in this world. I know how to defend myself." Roxane rolled her eyes at him with a smile. It would seem that they had forgotten who whipped the fear of women into them when they were younger. But the fear still remained if everything she saw in everyone's daily life was anything to go by, even if it's buried deep inside their subconscious.

Jacques looks at her in disbelief but otherwise nodded, not wanting to argue with her because something in the back of his mind is telling him not to but he can't figure out what. "Alright then, but please get to safety when things get bad." he pleaded.

"Don't worry about me sonny, just worry about yourself. You still have kids to go back to after all." Roxane said in a grandmotherly tone. She seem to perk up as she thought of something. "Jacques, why don't you lead the militia?" she suddenly asked.

Jacques eyes widen considerably in surprise as he rear back. "What? Me?"

"Yes, you." Roxane confirmed. "It's not like I would be around all the time to keep things in order. You would make a great leader so don't worry your arse off about it."

"B-b-but-" he shuttered in panic.

"Not buts sonny. Didn't you took control of the situation when a bull got loose in the village all those years ago?"

"But it was a bull. Leading the militia is a completely different matter!" he tried to protest.

"Well, there's a first time for everything. I'll go back to the church if you say yes." Roxane smirked at him. He looked rather conflicted, if he denied then the Elder would continue to wander around the villager where potential danger lurks but if he agreed then he would have to take on the responsibilities of being a leader but the Elder would go hide in the safety of the church. The village would be a very different place without her guidance and he rather not let the village's grandmother figure get herself killed.

In the end, with great reluctance, he agreed to lead the militia. Roxane just nodded happily, now she can move around more freely without having to bark out orders all the time. Jacques could handle himself and the rest, the way he gets people to follow his orders during the bull incident is very inspiring. It's almost like he could be a commander, maybe one of his kids would get his charisma from him.

"Alright then, I'll go inform everyone else about your new position." Roxane told him as she continue walking.

"But I thought you said you would go to the church!?" Jacques said, completely bemused by the Elder.

"Indeed I did, but I never said when I'm going to go there as soon as you accept now did I?" The smugness from her tone was palpable as Jacques hangs his head in defeat, realising that he was tricked into accepting the position without really gaining anything.

And so, the night continue on quietly. Roxane's unease jest kept on growing as she found herself standing in the middle of the village plaza. Everywhere she look is empty stalls where the villagers sell things for people passing by their village and for each other. Right now the place is completely barren of all life, shrouded in shadows as the flames in the braziers did their best to push them back.

She immerse herself with the sound of nature, closing her eyes and opening her ears to listen to the melody of the night. She could hear the crickets chipping, trying their best to find mates, the sound of owls hooting every once in a while and the crackling of the fires in the braziers.

Everything is in place, now all she needs to do is to wait. Again she was reminded how much she hated waiting when something's going on. She tried to take her mind off things as best as she could but nothing seem to be working so far. She would always question if she had done all that she could. She could do more but the risk are too great. She can't just hunt everyone down and manipulate their memories if they saw what she could do. There would just too many people for her to handle all at once. Some might even run away and hide in another town.

If she didn't use her more, chaotic spell, many would die and if she did even more would die later on when you know who comes knocking once words got out.

This truly is a stressful dilemma for her. She missed the good old days where she was just married and spending time with her new family and just worrying about what to cook for dinner. A smile broke out of her features as the memories of the peaceful days resurfaced from her mind. The smile immediately died out when she heard something that signal the start of everything.

" _Master! They're moving!"_

 **-0-**

The entire scene in front of her right now could be described with one word. Chaotic.

Masses of people were rushing out of their homes as soon as the bell on the church was rung, it's sound traveled far and in turn those who heard it started moving. The buildings were set on fire when the bandits threw torches everywhere as far as they could from the gates that were holding them back. The militia themselves were doing their best to stop the bandits from entering the village while the villagers who can't fight were running away from the source of chaos and straight to the church. The calm, silent night Roxane was enjoying just a few moments ago instantly died and turmoil took it's place.

There were screams coming from every direction as some bandits fell into the spike pits and people bumping into others as they made their escape. Roxane was standing calmly in the mist of all the mayhem, her eyes never stop scanning the place to see if anyone was lagging behind. There were quite a lot of people left because they live further away from the church and near the gates so they needed more time to reach safety.

It won't be long until some of them broke past the defenses or find a way around the spike pits. But it should be enough time for everyone to get to safety, hopefully at least. Roxane was trying her best to get everyone to the church safely all while subtly manipulating the earth the bandits were standing on, giving them an uneven footing to fight in and occasionally send minor tremors to keep them off balance, giving the defenders more time to get a strike in while the bandits were busy trying not to fall.

Her heart tightened as she saw one of the men defending the place got struck down by a lucky strike from the enemy. The militia were holding on but without any assistance they will lose.

Most of the villagers have been evacuated now but there are still some left that are hightailing towards the church in groups, there should be enough space to accommodate them all since everything inside was already moved out. The church is rather big and made of stone after all.

Roxane's grip on her staff tightens as she seriously contemplate whether or not she should just forget keeping the existence of Magecraft a secret in face of a disaster such as this.

Another pained cry rang out into the night, and Roxane saw another one of the men that she knew for so many years fall the ground with blood pooling from the open wound on his chest made her grit her teeth. The reinforced weapons were doing greatly as they tear through the bandits badly maintained armors but their numbers are giving the militia a hard time. She saw one or two slip through the men and head straight into the empty buildings to ransack them for valuables.

" _Aqua, how are you doing?"_ She asked through her familiar link as she head towards the nearest building with the bandit to take care of him.

" _I'll still need sometime to gather the clouds for a rain."_ Came the strained reply of the water Elemental. _"It's not like I've been doing a large scale manipulation all the time. I'm out of practice as it is."_ she complained.

" _Same here."_ Roxane could hear Blaze's tired voice call out. _"It's harder than it used to be to keep the fires from spreading. We've been lazy haven't we Aqua?"_ She heard him let out a tired laugh.

" _Don't give up just yet you two."_ Roxane told them. _"You're doing a great job already so keep it up."_ Roxane look once last glance around and saw the fires on the buildings were spreading slowly thanks for Blaze's intervention before heading inside to kill the bandit.

Before he could turn around because of the footsteps he heard behind him, his entire head burst like a balloon when a giant chunk of rock shot through it, chunks of meat and brain matter flew everywhere and splattered all across the building. The bandit's body went limp and fall onto the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut, blood sprayed from the base of the neck and staining the ground with it.

Roxane let her staff down and stare at the body with a raised eyebrow. The only thought that went through her mind was whether or not she overdid it before running out of the house to help with the raid.

She did what she could to help, subtle Gandr shot here and there to give the defenders an edge over the fight when the bandits were weaken, killing them when they managed to get pass while staying hidden or just outright sending miniature earthquakes that only the bandits could feel to keep them unsteady.

But even so, she's still just one person. The bandits are many and they keep slipping pass the defenders whenever there's enough room. She would have to hunt them down and kill them but her boundary field told her that they are getting past the fences already. There are still people there who haven't evacuated yet and she could sense that the bandits are already targeting them.

Roxane click her tongue in anger. She can't be everywhere at once so she had to send her earth golems to get rid of them if they're at an isolated area when no one else nearby. She thrust her staff's end into the ground and pour her prana into it, silently chanting a spell. She watches as the earth in front of her starts to fracture and the earth starts to rise. In front of her, construct entirely made out of dirt and rocks raise from the ground and piece themselves together like a puzzle. They weren't big at all, just the size of a toddler but still dangerous enough to bash a person's skull in.

She ordered them to go take care of the bandits without being seen and they left with gusto, their steps were heavy enough to create small markings on the ground as they head out of the village to eliminate the raiders there before they could enter while some went around taking care of those that had already found their way inside.

With the darkness hiding them from view it would give them an advantage along with their small size. The bandits wouldn't know what hit them as their members die left and right for no reason at all. It should affect their morale if they're being attacked by an unknown being. If she's lucky, no one in the village would see it too.

But she knew the golems couldn't make it there in time. She could sense some of the villagers being dragged out by the bandits. She could feel anger rising in her chest followed by a sense of helplessness. They would already be long gone before she or her gloem could reach them. All she could do now is to prevent more from being taken away.

More bandits got in but they were mostly taken care of by the golems inside. They were killed in a gruesome fashion as chunks of rock bash into their body, shattering bones and squashing organs. Roxane ran around the place, finding and urging the rest of villagers to keep moving. Some had wanted to help and pick up whatever weapons they could find before charging into the fray. The bandits are being pushed back now, she could see their morale wavering as they made no progress in breaking through the defenders. It would be a matter of time before they decide that it's not worth it anymore and haul ass back to the forest.

More buildings were set on fire, making Blaze's job harder than it should be as he tries to contain the fires to just a few buildings while more bandits managed to find their way inside. The uses of her gloem are limited as she couldn't make more or people will notice the stone constructs wandering around the village, getting rid of the marauders as silently as they could.

Roxane was running back and forth, using the sensors in her boundary field to find anyone that still haven't reach the church yet. Right now she was heading towards where she sensed two of the villagers that was lagging behind the rest of the group with a bandit closing in on them. She prayed that she could make it in time to save them.

"Mummy!" she heard a child cried out in fear as she got close to where she sensed them. In front of her she saw two females with spiky red hair, one long enough to reach her back while the other's was cut short. A mother and child, Amelia and Elena. They were running as fast as they could as the mother was carrying her daughter as she ran. Roxane's eyes dart to their back and saw that they were being followed by one of the marauders as he was following close behind, maddening glee present in his eye as he chase them like it's some sort of game for him.

The bandit caught up because the female was being slowed down by the weight of her daughter and he did a quick sweep with his sword, swiping low so that he would hit the leg. She saw Amelia Hector fall to the ground, using her body as a shield to protect her daughter from the fall. Blood was seeping from her leg where her skirt was torn, staining her skirt and the ground with dark red ichor. The bandit was standing behind her, his arm was brought up with a sword in hand, ready to swing down. Amelia quickly pull Elena close to her chest, her face filled with panic while her back was facing towards the bandit, wanting to protect her daughter from the incoming slash.

Elena's eyes were wide with fear, her young mind was unable to comprehend what's happening right now. She was just sleeping soundly in her bed when a loud ringing noise woke her up. Her mum then suddenly rush into her room and told her to get moving but since she was unable understand the severity of the situation, it took longer than necessary for her to get going even when her mother was trying to drag her off her bed.

It was when she was pulled out of the door did she noticed her throat was extremely dry for some reason and it was hotter than it should be. Her mother was in a state of worry and panic, trying to get her to get up and moving. Thinking that something was wrong she choose to follow her without question. Once they head outside her eyes were widen in surprise as buildings that were on fire entered her line of sight. She was undoubtedly confuse by the change in scenery as not long before, the buildings in front of her was completely fine, not looking like something akin to a bonfire.

Her attention was torn away from the building as she was pulled along by her mother as they head towards the church, she saw a bunch of other people were running towards that direction too. But then she heard someone shouting and following them and she turn her head around and saw a man wearing leather armor while holding a sword. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw his face as he laughs. She didn't know why but she didn't like it. It just looks so wicked to her.

She felt herself as she was lift up and she called out to her mother. She caught a glimpse of how scared she looked and it made her feel uneasy. She just couldn't understand what's happening right now. She could feel her tears welling up and threatening to leak out from her eyes as she let herself be carried away. Fear grip her heart as she saw the man behind them gets closer and closer while laughing maniacally. And when he did a swipe with his sword she felt herself falling and quickly shut her eyes on reflex as she had a brief sensation that she was floating in the air before her mother caught her in time and pull her close, using her body to protect her.

When she open them she was being hugged by her mother, she could feel her trembling as she hold her close. There was just enough space for her to see what's going on behind them as she saw the man stalks closer, The fires were illuminating him, showing his eyes that were glinting with some sort of hunger in them, making him look like a predator going in for the kill.

Elena was about to burst out crying when something flew straight towards them and slam itself onto the man's head. He fell to the side like a ragdoll and the object that hit him fell to the ground with a thunk.

"Eh?" Elena let out in confusion as her eyes dart to the ground to see what it was. It was a long wooden staff, the very same staff that she always saw Granny Lalande carries around.

Her mother, finding that she still hasn't been killed yet fearfully look behind her back only to be astonished by the sight of a knocked out bandit. She wasn't about to question her good fortune and quickly tires to push herself up but winched as she felt the pain shot up from her legs as she tried to move.

Elena became worried for her mother but she didn't know what to do in this situation and could only panic as more blood seep out from her mother's leg while she tried to push herself up while reassuring her that she's fine. In the end she couldn't get up and could only sat on the ground while covering the wound with her hands. Elena had a distinctive feeling that her childhood friend Alex might know how to handle this situation because he always seem to know things but he's not here right now. And so, she could only groan frustratingly as she fights back the tears that's leaking from the corner of her eyes.

It didn't take long for Granny Lalande to appear to help them both.

Roxane could feel the hot air hitting against her face as she run towards the mother and daughter. The fire is spreading quicker now, the building next to the mother and daughter duo was slowly being covered in flames. If they didn't move out of the way soon they might be badly burned.

She was glad that she still carried her staff around, even though it's more of a decoration now since her old, real one was destroyed years ago by accident. It made a very brilliant knock out projectile to throw at the bandit. While she could use a spell to take care of the bandit, she's not about to traumatize a child by killing him in front of her.

"Are you two alright?" She asked as soon once she got close enough. It was a stupid question but she asked it nonetheless. Amelia tensed and turn to see who it was and Roxane saw her visibly relaxed as she let out a sigh once her eyes landed on her. Elena just nodded silently and teary eyed at her question with both her hands clutching tightly on her skirt.

"I'm alright Elder, tis just a scratch." Amelia let out a mirthful chuckle but Roxane could see her wincing as her hand press against the wound on her leg. Elena was looking at the wound worriedly, her face was turning a bit green as she stare on with no idea what to do.

Roxane reached them and kneel down next to the wounded mother. She quickly did a once over on her leg to see how bad the wound is. Elena was unwilling to leave her mother's side and latch on to her arm as she watch what Roxane were doing.

Roxane nodded to herself and spoke up. "You should be fine. The wound is not as deep as it seems. We just need to stop the bleeding until you can get proper treatment at the church." She told them in a reassuring tone as she didn't hesitate to tear the sleeve of her gown to use as a makeshift bandage.

Elena watches in amazement as the Elder of the village did first aid on her mother. Seeing that she was unable to do anything to help she thought to herself that she would learn how to do something like that in the future. And so, the young redhead silently resolved herself to study how to do basic first aid so that she could at least help at times like these.

With the bleeding temporary stopped Roxane use her gown as a handkerchief to wipe the blood away from her hands, completely uncaring of the fact that she's staining her clothes with it. She could feel her sweat sliding down her face as the heat around them seem to increase. She turn around to pick up her staff that's nearby and push herself up with it. Once she's standing, she took a quick glance at the bandit to confirm whether or not he's still out cold before returning her attention to the mother.

"We need to get going, it's not safe here. Can you stand?" She asked while giving her a hand to lift herself up with.

"I-I think I can." Amelia grunted as she tries to lift herself up, Elena quickly went behind her to push her rear in order to help. Once the wounded women was standing with only one leg while the other was hanging in the air Roxane lend Amelia her shoulder to lean on, putting her arm over her neck as she pull her close by her waist.

Elena watches worriedly as her mother steadies herself with a grimace on her face. Her mum did her best to calm her down as they all move rather slowly towards the church, leaving behind the man on the ground. Little did she know that Roxane had already ordered a golem to deal with him as soon as they got out of sight.

The three moved as quick as they could to get away from the burning buildings and to the safety of the church that seem to be standing tall and unharmed a distance away. Elena was following closely next to her mother, unwilling to leave her side even for a little bit. Amelia was dragging herself as quickly as she could while getting use to the pain throbbing on her leg.

Roxane however was receiving shocking news from Blaze.

" _Master, one of the houses on the west gate caught fire and there's still people inside it! They seem to be on loitering around the bottom floor instead of running out."_ Blaze voice shouted in alarm. She thought that the west side had already been evacuated, turns out that it was not the case.

" _Be more specific Blaze, there are plenty of houses that are on fire right now."_ Roxane's brow burrow in worry as she tires to use the sensors in the boundary field to find the house Blaze was talking about but before she could, Blaze answered her question.

" _The one on the right side when you enter through the gate, I think it's the bakery."_

" _The bakery!? There's still people there?"_ Roxane almost widen her eyes in surprise but reel it back in so the people she's with doesn't suspect anything. The sensor told there that there's still three presence in the building but it can't tell her who's who. She thought that the Randalls' are still there but didn't leave their burning house for some reason.

" _Yes, there_ _'s_ _three of them there. The fire is spreading inside the building so I can get a good sense of_ _what they're doing_ _. I'm trying to keep it from spreading too fast but I'm already spread thin with_ _stopping the fire from spreading_ _to_ _the rest of the buildings_ _."_ Blaze informed her.

Roxane silently curse at the timing as she was still leading Amelia towards the church and they had just came from there. She would need to make haste to reach their destination before running back to the bakery to safe the Randalls'. There's a chance that it might be bandits there instead but she didn't want to risk it. Maybe she should check if they have already made it to the church first.

" _Aqua, hows the rain coming along?"_ Roxane asked in worry, hoping that the water Elemental had already gather enough to make it rain. The three are already nearing the church. Elena had ran forward to tell the people inside to open the doors for them to enter. Amelia was doing better, moving quicker now as she had already gotten used to the pain.

" _Almost there! Just need a little bit more time!"_ Aqua's strained voice answered her. Roxane looked up and saw clouds forming and moving in from a distance to block the moon and stars. The dark, ominous swirling clouds that's approaching made the sky looked rather intimidating.

They finally reached the building, she could see some of the villagers standing guard outside, holding makeshift weapons. Face filled with grim determination to stop any intruders from coming near to harm the people inside. Two of the defenders outside quickly rush to their aid the moment they saw them, Roxane left Amelia to their care and look towards the church. The large double doors to the church was opened and Elena was standing right outside, beckoning for them to come in quickly.

With the doors open she could get a peak inside. The rest of the villagers are all packed up inside and there's still room for some more. They all look at a lost at what to do. Some were trying to calm the children down and stop them from crying, telling them that it's going to be alright. Quite a few were hurt and there was a space to the side with mats lay down for them to lay on. Those who knew how to treat wounds were tending to the injured while a few kids look on with curiosity on what they were doing. Most of the people inside were the elderly and the young, the adults were doing everything they can to save their home, either by fighting the fire by getting water from wherever they can or by pushing back the bandits. But she saw no sign of the Randalls' in there.

" _Master! The people inside the bakery are fighting each other!"_ Blaze told her, his voice filled with confusion and worry.

" _What!? Can you tell who's who?"_ Roxane quickly turn around and head towards the bakery, her earlier thought about the Randalls' not escaping yet made it back to her mind. They aren't present in the church and the rest of the village has already been evacuated. The only ones that are lingering around the place are bandits which are being taken care of by the golems.

Were they detained by something? Who's fighting who? She had only sensed the presence of three people there Anne, Alex and Catherine….unless one of them is the presence of someone else's.

" _No I can't, I can't 'see' properly this way, only sense their shapes and sizes to tell what they're doing."_ Blaze informed her. _"I can tell you that there are two kids and one adult there. The adult is going against a kid and the other one was left in a safe spot- Woah! For a big guy, he sure is losing badly. The kid just knocked him to the ground with his body."_ Blaze told her with amazement and admiration in his voice. He sounded almost giddily at the prospect of a child beating an adult.

" _Are you sure you're not seeing things Blaze?"_ Aqua asked as she listen to the conversation. Roxane noted that the clouds are starting to converge around the center of the village. Two kids he said, and one of the is fighting against an adult. Oh Gods, just what happened in there?

The two kids are undoubtedly Alex and Catherine but where is their mother at? Why haven't they evacuate yet? A sense of dread started to come over her as she thought of something she didn't want to. The only thing that came to mind is that their mother has been killed and Alex is fighting to save himself and his sister. Roxane's speed nearly doubled as she started reinforcing her legs even though she had never use it on her own body before as she was afraid of what might happen if she failed.

" _Of course not. The kid's straddling the guy right now. I'm keeping the fire away from all of them for now but it won't last long."_

Roxane didn't think much on how Alex managed to get an upper hand when fighting against someone three times his size. The boy has always been unpredictable, surprising the bandit isn't a far fetch thought at all. But why didn't he run with his sister once the bandit's down instead?

" _What are they doing right now?"_ she ask in a hurry.

" _The kid's trying to push a blade into the man's face. He's losing though."_

" _What!?"_ Roxane was beyond flabbergasted when she heard Blaze's answer.

" _Woah, he's a brutal one ain't he?"_ Aqua spoke up.

What on earth could have possessed the boy to do something like that!? He should have escape with his sister, not engage in a life or death battle with someone bigger than him…. Oh no, his mother, she must have been killed in front of him. Revenge. It's a powerful motivator, gives a person strength when he needed it the most but it also blinds you to other options you could take. He's too engulf by rage to think rationally right now. She needed to get there and save him. He can't win like that.

It was then did the alarms in her boundary field sounded in her mind and her eyes widen in complete shock as she ran. Like a dam that had been burst open, she could sense a torrent of prana rushing from the west side of the gate. The alarm was set to notify her of the presence of another Magus in the village. It only activates when Prana is being used by someone else other than her and her familiars, effectively telling her that someone in her village is using magic.

Her worry grew with each step she took. Was there a Magus who in the ranks of the bandit? Is he an experience one or was he a complete amateur that had just discovered the uses of Prana by pure chance? Either way, it does not bode well for her if he or she decides to start using their spells just because they can't get pass the defenders.

She tried to pinpoint where the influx of prana was coming from and when she found it she nearly tripped on her feet.

It was coming from the bakery.

She could feel the chaotic surge of the magical energy bursting out of the place for a brief moment. During that moment it felt like the energy was flailing like giant tentacles, whipping all around the place wildly, oozing into the air without a purpose in mind, blanketing the area with it's presence before dissipating into Mana. But just like that, it was gone. No, it wasn't gone but rather tamed. She could feel it concentrating itself into one area rather than running wild like before. How odd.

Roxane gulp as she understood what just happened. Apparently, Alex just activated his Magic Circuits in his rage and he didn't activate them in favorable circumstances. Those who activate their circuits for the first time in their life during dire situations tend to die quickly because of the confusion they felt and the sudden burst of energy they have, completely distracting them until it's too late for them to act. She curse the distance she still has to cover before reaching the place. At most it would take a few more minutes but every second counts right now. Blaze would not be able to hold the fire off for long and she needed to reach Alex in time to save him and his sister from whoever he was fighting and the burning building.

But like a floodgate that has been closed, the magical energy disappeared and she could no longer sense anything coming from that direction. There are many reasons for the sudden disappearance of the Prana that she could think of at the moment, the most common one is death. Roxane's heart dropped, thinking that she had been to late and Alex was killed because of the distraction caused by the sudden activation of the circuits.

" _Master…."_ Blaze called out, Roxane brace herself for the bad news she thought he was about to deliver. _"The kid...he won."_

She never expected to hear that.

" _He's moving away from the body, towards the other kid in the building. The fire is spreading and I don't think the building could hold itself together if this keeps up."_

He's still alive! She thought in relief, ignoring the part where Blaze just indirectly told her that Alex had just murdered a man. _"I'm almost there."_ Roxane told him taxingly _"I'm not as young as I used to be you know."_ Truth be told, she had never felt so exhausted before in a long time. She chalked it up to being inactive for too many years, spending years just wandering around the village and sitting on a chair tend to do that to your muscles.

" _Blaze, do what you can to help him out of the building."_ Roxane ordered, she could see the burning building now. Just a bit more before she could reach it. Her eyes widen when she saw the roof collapse in on itself but the rest of the structure remained standing.

" _On it, I'll try to drag him out."_

His reply got her thinking, how on earth is he suppose to do that?

" _Blaze, how are you even going to do that?"_ Aqua ask the question that was on her mind.

" _Er...controlling the flames and shaping them into hands to drag him out?"_ he said unsurely.

" _Blaze…."_ Aqua started, the in exasperation her tone was palpable to those who were listening. "That would only make him run away from you. Can you imagine what it would look like for him if he saw flames shaped into hands coming from the fire? It would be like they are trying to drag him to hell, not to mention that it would at least burn him to a degree if you ever touched him. You're spread too thin to control the temperature properly right now."

" _Fine~ I'll just keep the fire away from them as long as I can."_ Roxane could feel him pouting from the link.

She finally reach the house, feeling worried whether or not she managed to reach the place in time. She heard the sound of a child crying, nearly muffled out by the roaring and crackling of the flames. It gave her hope. She tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge at all. She uses her legs to kick it and got the same result. Something was blocking it from the other side. She clicked her tongue in annoyance before leaving to find a window to climb in from. The loud shattering of glass caught her attention, it came from the sides of the building. Thinking that that's where the boy was she ran around the building and head towards where the sound originated from.

" _Er, Master? The kid just dropped. He's just laying on the ground now but I can tell that he's still breathing, the other child is fine bu- Master! You need to hurry. I'm sensing that one of the support beams is losing it's hold. And from the angle that it's falling, it's going to hit the kid!"_ Blaze cried out in panic, effectively causing Roxane to feel the same as she got nearer to where she had heard the shattering of glass.

"Damn it!" she hissed angrily as she reached the window.

Roxane could hear the groaning of the wood the moment she reach the broken window. With just a glance inside she could see the interior was burning, there almost wasn't a place inside that wasn't covered in flames. Parts of the ceiling was already collapsing and in the distance was two very still bodies. One appears to be a male that had a missing head, or rather, it was turned into an unrecognizable mush with dark red ichor still oozing from it. The entire body was engulfed in flames, burning away the clothes and roasting any traces of flesh that once cover the corpse, the dark red ichor was starting to boil from the heat as small bubbles were popping out from the puddle that the carcass was laying on.

The other was none other than Anne Randall, the mother of the children she was trying to save. She was laying on her front, the look of horror and pain forever etched onto her face as she lay on top of the puddle of her own blood. Miraculously, the fire haven't consumed her body yet and she still remained as she was before, completely unburned.

She could see the beam that Blaze was talking about, the lower area is starting to snap, it's form was starting topple over by it's weight and right below where the beam would land was the fallen form of a child, laying next to an infant that was crying as loud as she could. They seem to be laying inside a circle of protection, fire surrounded them, just lingering on the edges of the circle, not once closing in on the two child. Blaze was doing his best to keep it away.

Just as she registered the sight, the flaming beam falling down from above and she raise her staff. In her haste, she didn't think of which spell to use to stop it. In pure instinct, she unleashed howling gales straight from the tip of her staff, one strong enough to push large boulders and smash it into pieces. The blast shot through the already broken window, smashing against the falling beam, shattering it in mid air before the wind drag everything away from the bodies that it was about to crash into, along with every fragment of wood that was created when the beam broke and straight to the far end of the building. The wooden remains broke through the wall, flying off a few more meters before crashing into the ground.

The gale dispersed, flowing everywhere inside the burning structure like a hurricane. The fires were swiftly snuffed out by the might of the wind, leaving behind the burned blacken charred wooden structure and furniture. The once burning corpse of the bandit was now nothing more than a roasted barbecue, completely unrecognizable to the human eye. Anne's body was completely fine, other than the edges of her clothes that had slight burnt mark on them and the frizzled hair.

Roxane quickly check on the children, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that they were still alive but her heart skipped a beat while her eyes widen in disbelief when she saw the condition Alex was in.

Good God, just what happened here? How is he even alive the way he is?

Alex was on his back, breathing weakly. His clothes were soaked red in blood. His entire right arm looks like it had taken a beating by an angry mod, completely boneless and limp, like a sack of meat attached onto his torso. His left arm was curling around Catherine protectively, a large gash was apparent on his forearm with fresh blood was still leaking from the wound. His face however, was the most shocking sight to see. His eyes were a haze, entirely unfocused on the events that's happening around him. Trails of blood leaking down towards his cheeks from the corners of his eyes. The lower part of his face were entirely bloodied because his nose were leaking the substance like a stream.

Her eyes dart to the broken hand of his, there were traces of Prana left in the limb. Her intuition told her that Alex had somehow managed to use Reinforcement on himself but in his rage he had overloaded his arm in the process and now it's bones, muscles and most likely his nerves are completely damaged. Then a sickening thought struck her. He didn't- he didn't tried to use Reinforcement on his brain did he?

Roxane could only hold back her pained gasp at the sight of the broken boy as she tries to break down the wall to reach them. The job was made easier as the wall was already crumbling from the fire.

She thought to herself. A child shouldn't have to go though all that. A child should been spending their time as children, laughing and playing with each other while creating beautiful memories. Their childhood should be filled with happiness and ignorant of the hardship that the adults faced until they're old enough to learn about it.

Movement suddenly caught her attention and her eyes were glued to the moving form of the child. She was surprised that he could still move. He had sustained wounds that would make a grown man wept, experiencing agonizing pain that should be exploding throughout his body from the failed reinforcement that would normally send a person into blissful unconsciousness and yet, Alex still remained awake and was still able to move, completely uncaring or unaware of what state he's in. His head slowly turned to face her, his expression, impassive. His eyes slowly regain their focus as it met hers, the haze that's shrouding his pupils was being push back like a tide.

His lips parted slightly and he spoke three words before his fatigue finally caught up with him and like a puppet with it's strings cut, he stopped moving. His mind finally shut down and his consciousness drift into the land of dreams.

Roxane continue to break down the wall to reach them while mentally reaching out for one of her golems. An earth golem that was nearby answered her call and ran to her side with haste. Tt was caked in blood of it's enemies as it ram through the wall and continue on inside to pick up the body of Anne Randall. Roxane drop her staff and pick both of the children up as carefully as she could. The building was starting to crumble because of the damage done to it so Roxane quickly escape the place to prevent herself from being crushed by wooden derbies.

Catherine's face was red from the heat but other than that, she was fine. Alex's eerily still form rest in her other arm. Their weight didn't bother her and she carry both of them out of the collapsing building. She ordered the golem to carry the body somewhere safe so they could bury her once this is all over. Roxane's eyes dart to the form of the raven haired boy, she can't let everyone else see him like this, she needed somewhere to heal him.

A sudden drop of water that landed on her face caught her attention and she look up. Aqua had done her duty and it started to rain. The few small drops suddenly turned into a large downpour as a torrent of water come crashing down to meet the ground like two armies going in for the clash. The sensors told her that the bandits are retreating from the gates. Their morale are no doubt already low due to the steadfast defenses the village had and the mysterious ways that their men are dying. Now the rain is making it harder to see and completely snuffing out the fires that they had set to inflict panic on the people. Thankfully they're smart enough to know that they won't stand a chance now. Retreating is the only option if they still want to cover their losses.

She choose to head towards her home, it's better for her to treat Alex there. As she ran, her thoughts drift to the words that he spoke to her when their eyes met.

Those three words that he spoke back then would be stuck inside Roxane's mind for the rest of the night as she carry the two children into the distance.

" _I….saw….that…."_

 **Omake: Happy Fun Times**

"No." came the voice of a boy filled with annoyance and reluctance.

"Aww, come on Lexie. Just this once. I'm sure it'll be funny." a girl whined downheartedly at the boy.

Alexander Randall, a four year old with medium length spiky black hair and crystal blue eyes and is also most commonly known as Alex, took a step back and repeat what he just said with the same amount of annoyance in his voice. "No. It'll be funny for you but it'll be agonizing and soul shattering for me." The boy was wearing a brown tunic and trousers and shoes….let's just call them shoes. God damn cloth wrapping thingy. Can't they just invent sneakers already?

In front of him is a girl the same age as him, just a tad bit shorter. Her shoulder length, fiery red hair was just as spiky as the male in front of her or maybe even spikier. Her side bangs reaches her chin and frames her face. Her hazel coloured eyes shone with dissatisfaction as she purse her lips into a thin line at her friend's refusal. She's wearing a bright red dress with long sleeves that goes well with her hair. She's also holding a bundle of clothes in her arm for some reason.

The two kids are currently inside Alex's room. It a rather small and spartan place for a child's room where there's only a bed and a chest placed next to the window and a desk and chair for the boy to do whatever he wants on it. But since he rarely spent time in here and only uses it to sleep in, it really doesn't matter if the room's practically empty for him.

"There you go again, using big words that I dun know." Elena huffed in annoyance, holding the clothes in her arm closer to her chest as she pout at him cutely.

Alex cross his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. "I am not going to do it and that's final." he snarled, glaring at the offending bundle of cloths in Elena's arms.

"But it'll be great!" Elena protested as she move closer causing Alex to step back again.

"Great was when we managed to pull off a successful prank and everyone is happy in the end. That." Alex said while pointing at the article of clothing on her arms in fear like it's some sort of poisonous monster that will eat him the moment he got close enough. "Is not great. In fact, the only one that will be unhappy in the end will be me so I'm not going to do it." he said in a tone that give the impression that there will be no further discussion on the topic.

"E-Elena, if he don't want to then maybe we shouldn't." came a meek girlish voice from the side, causing team porcupine, named due to their hair, to turn their heads to the one who said it. The voice was so faint that you need to pay attention to hear it, otherwise you just might miss what she had just said. Thankfully, Alex has sensitive hearing and Elena was already used to the volume of the voice. Said girl just cower on her spot slightly at being at the center of attention and started fidgeting while poking both her index fingers together.

Standing right next to them is Elena's best bud, Agnes. Alex, on the other hand, had been dubbed Best best bud so he's a rank above Agnes in Elena's book.

Agnes is the same age of the two in front of her. She has short, smooth bright orange hair that come down to her chin. Her long bangs would most often hide her eyes behind them but if you managed see past them, you would find a pair of bright green eyes. Said green eyes were looking at the two with uncertainty and her skin looks a little pale for a child due to her being coop up in her home most of the time. Heck, if it wasn't for Elena, she would never come out at all because she of her personality. She's currently wearing a white buttoned blouse and a gray overalls, Alex's overalls. Why is she wearing his you ask? Well, it's because-

"Thank you Agnes." Alex nods towards her gratefully with a thankful smile, his eyes meeting hers, causing her to blush lightly and suddenly found the wooden floor next to her feet to be very interesting.

She's also very, very shy. Hence the reason why she stayed at home most of the time.

"I-it's alright." she stammered, twirling her index fingers together as she tries not to make eye contact with the only male in the room while shifting her weight between her legs.

"See Elena, even Agnes knows not to push a person too far." Alex told the redhead who's currently looking at her best bud with a look of utter betrayal plastered on her face.

"Agnes!" she gasped, completely flabbergasted by her friend. "Don't tell me that you're not going to help me convince Alex to try?"

Agnes just look at a lost of what to do. Right now her two friends are disagreeing with each other. Alex completely have no desire to take part in what Elena had planned while Elena had already prepared everything and didn't want to do all of it for nothing. She didn't want to make any of them mad just because she sided with the other and so she could only squirm on the spot at being stared on.

Elena intercepted her friend's silence as siding with Alex and could only pout and look at the floor downhearted, her bangs shadow her eyes as she hugged the bundle of clothes closer to her chest. Alex just looked worriedly at his childhood friend and move closer to her.

"Just give it up Elena. At least we can find something else to do." Alex tries to reason with the girl and pats her shoulder gently to cheer her up, thinking that he made her sad. Sadly, he didn't know that she wasn't sad at all.

"You leaf me no choice then."

In a blink of an eye, Elena's head shot up and their face met. She had unleashed her ultimate skill that Alex had taught her, taking advantage of their distance and using the full force of the puppy dog eyes as she stare into Alex's soul.

Alex recoiled in fear but couldn't move away as her face were entrancing him with their sheer adorableness. Alex curse himself for being caught unaware by her skill. It's the only thing he should be looking out for when he's denying to do something for her and yet even if he did she somehow still managed to use it on him. Oh how he regret ever teaching her that in the first place. Without any form of warning, there's darkness creeping in from the edges of his vision and he was bombarded with the sensation of someone hijacking his body, wanting to do everything with it's power to please to cute little puppy in front of him.

As Alex struggle not to loose to the mind controlling effect of the puppy dog eyes, he utter out one last sentence before his resolve finally crumble like wet tissue paper and agree to the girl's request like a whipped dog that he is.

"It's 'Leave', not 'Leaf'."

Then everything blacked out for him.

 **-0-**

When Alex finally regain control of his mind and his motor functions the first thing he chose to do was to blink in confusion. He blinked because he's staring at someone he didn't recognize and said someone was staring back. Somehow, there's a girl inside his room and she's standing in front of him. He had never seen her before and he had taken the time to memorize all the kids in the village and write their names into a list for future references to see who would be a perfect target for one of his pranks.

This girl is not in his list. Hell, he's pretty certain that she shouldn't even be in his room right now, let alone standing in front of him.

The girl has straight black hair that reaches the back of her neck and short side bangs framing her face while some part of her hair was sticking out of her head like a messy bed hair. If he looked carefully he would notice that her hair is kinda wet for some reason. Her wide blue eyes were showing signs of confusion as she stare at him. She's wearing a green kirtle that's laced up from the side and it's skirt reaches to her ankles while there's a white smock that underneath the kirtle with sleeves that ends on her wrist with a cuff.

She would have been cute, if she wasn't so creepily silent and staring at him.

Alex tilt his head questioningly at her, feeling a bit creep out by how silent she is and she mimic his action by tilting her head too. Now he's feeling really unnerved by her. He keep getting a nagging feeling that she looks very familiar to him but he couldn't figure out why.

He took a step back and the girl copied his action flawlessly and that's when he finally realise why she was following his actions why he had that feeling of familiarity every time he looks at her. Alex's eye twitched, he could feel a budding headache forming and wanted nothing more that to press his fingers on the bridge of his nose. Since when the heck did a large mirror appeared inside of his room!?

His eyes widen as he remember his thoughts form earlier.

 _D-did I called myself cute!? Oh. My. Fucking. God!_ Alex groan mentally and collapse onto his knees in depression. _Wait a minute. I don't recall the village having a large mirror in the first place. Heck, the best we got are small ones. Since when did we even have a full size mirror? The mirror's design looks modern as well so someone from the future must have placed it here. A forth wall break? Random Omnipotent beings' messing with me? Zelretch trolling? Mother of Gwynevere's tits! Does logic even apply in this situation? Am I in some kind of comedy anime!?_

"Hey Lexie, you done yet?" Elena's voice called out from outside of his room.

"M-maybe we should give him more time?" Agnes said softly.

"It's been ten minutes already! We've given him enough time to change."

"I'm going through an early life crisis here. Leave me alone!" Alex shouted out. Then he put on a face of a shell shocked war veteran as he continue to stare into the mirror in despair because of his femininity looks. _I don't wanna be cute damn it! I wanna be manly!_ He wailed pitifully inside his head.

Alex's ears perk up when he heard his door being opened. He tiredly crank his head to the side to see who it was. Elena step in and froze when her eyes landed on the kneeling form of Alexander. She did a double take before she promptly doubled over and started laughing like a dying hyena.

Alex chose to ignore the laughing red porcupine and focus his attention on the turf of orange hair that's slowly peeping over his doorway.

Agnes meekly peek her head over the door to see what's going, her bangs fell to one side, revealing her eyes for the world to see and she saw Alex wearing her dress, his face gave the impression that it's the end of the world for him. Alex could see her eyes widen for a few seconds before she struggle to say something.

"E-erm. Y-you look c-cute." she told him in hopes of encouraging the male while fighting back a blush rising on her face. She doesn't like it when any of her friends looks sad. She also felt rather shocked by the fact that her only male friend could look so feminine in women clothing.

What she didn't know was that it had the opposite effect and her words transformed into an arrow and stabbed into Alex's poor brittle heart. He slam his head onto to floor and started sobbing in shame.

Elena at the time had already fallen to the ground and laying on her back while still laughing out loud with her legs kicking up in the air. She held her hands on her stomach as tears slide down from the corner of her eyes. "Ha ha ha ha ha. Oh God, she said you were cute. Ha ha ha ha ha." she told him between her laughter as she slams her hand on the floor repeatedly.

Agnes finally steps in and close the door so Elena's dying hyena impression doesn't disrupt the people downstairs. She then shifting her gaze between the beautiful male that keeps muttering 'Kill me' over and over again and the red porcupine that was running out of air and started coughing while clutching her stomach in pain. She was at a lost at what to do but since she's not at the center of the attention right now she wisely chose not to speak up and team porcupine let everything out of their system.

A full minute has passed before Alex finally stood up with a look of a defeated person. Elena was still sprawled on the floor in an unladylike fashion, sucking in mouth full of air to stop her head from spinning due to all the laughing.

"Ah~" Elena let out a satisfied sigh as she push herself up and face Alex with her hands place on her hips. "This is perfect! Let's go to the farm right now." she grinned happily as she told them the plan for the day.

"No! They will laugh at me!" Alex hissed angrily at Elena. "I only agreed to wear it, not go around the place while wearing it!"

"Aw come on. They won't even regonise you." Elena told him, gesturing at his general direction while trying to hide a snicker.

"Recognize." Alex automatically corrected her sternly in a motherly fashion while waving a finger near his face while his other hand was place on the elbow of the hand that was being waved and puff up his chest in annoyance at Elena's unladylike fashion. He was somehow emitting the air of a dignified noble and had the looks to back it up. Maybe he should correct her and teach her how to be a proper lady. He caught himself thinking something that he normally wouldn't do and quickly shook his head and let his arms down, thinking that the clothes that he's wearing must have been messing with his head.

"How are you so sure anyway." Alex ask with a raise brow as he place one hand on his hip while the other hang loosely by his side.

"Look at yourself." Elena gesture all over his body with a mad grin. "I can't even tell who you are when I first saw you."

"T-true, I had trouble believing you were Alex too." Agnes nodded to herself with a small smile, her short orange hair bob along with her head.

Alex narrowed his eyes at both the girls in his room in an unamused manner. Elena was unaffected by it but Agnes on the other hand, once their eyes made contact she made a small 'eep' before trying to hide behind Elena.

"No, I'm not going to do it." Alex stated after a while of silence, his expression remain unchanging as he continue to stare narrowed eyed at the two girls. Finally seeing how defiant her childhood friend is being today, Elena rubs her chin in deep thought, trying to find a way to get him to leave his room while wearing a dress. Agnes just waited behind her to see what would happen. She only wanted to spend time with her friends so it really doesn't matter to her whether or not Alex is coming while dressed as a girl. Though she still wonder why and how he could look so good in a skirt.

Elena suddenly snapped her fingers together as she thought of something, she look down and her eyes were being hidden by the shadow created by her bangs while she started snickering, getting the attention of the other two in the room. Agnes tilt her questioningly at her actions while Alex didn't like the smile that's spreading on her face and felt slightly threatened by how her eyes seem to be glinting underneath the veil created by her bangs.

She took a step forward and lift her head up, removing the shadow being cast on her face and smiled sweetly at the crossdressing boy. Warning signals were being rung at the back of his brain but since he didn't know what she was going to do, he couldn't take any action against it. The puppy dog eyes doesn't work twice in a row and Elena knows that too so what on earth was she planning?

Elena slowly lift her hand up and snaps her finger. Agnes obediently pulls out a plate from somewhere and hands it to her. Alex's eyes widen to the size of saucers when he saw the contents of the plate.

"I'll give you some baked potatoes if you do."

 **-0-**

Alex was currently cursing his weakness as he walk between Elena and Agnes towards the first test subject. Out of all the things he need to get from his past life it just has to be his love for potatoes. He just can't resist when they are being thrown at him. Those things are fucking great to eat no matter how you prepare them. Somehow Elena found out about it and has been using it to 'convince' him to do things he didn't want part in or was just too plain lazy to get it done.

Right now they're heading towards the smithy to see whether or not Bob would recognize him since he seem to have a knack for spotting him from a mile away. Alex was grumbling quietly to himself and wanting nothing more than to get out of what he's wearing. But since he had already agreed to do this he might as well get it over with.

Elena was grinning away as she leads them towards her house with wide strides. Agnes seem to be worried that the disguise won't hold and Alex would be found out and kept glancing over to him as she clasps both her hands in front of her overall anxiously.

It wasn't long before they stood in front of the doorless doorway of the open aired smithy. The sound of metal being stuck was constantly being reverberated in the area with a thundering clank. Each clank seem to vibrate the ear drums of the children standing right outside. To them it sounded like Zeus was trying to strike down a Titan with his lightning bolt as each strike come down with an angry roar of air when the hammer was being swung.

Agnes, let out a tiny squeak and clutch onto Alex's sleeve as she shiver in fear, flinching with each thundering clank. Seeing that this was her first time coming to this place Alex understood what she was feeling right now since he had felt it before when he first wandered here two years ago. The thundering clunks would sound terrifying to kid who has never been close to the source before. He quite enjoy the sight though of Bob working though. It was fun to see as sparks were being created with each strike of the smith's hammer, shaping the piece of ingot on the anvil into tools for people to use.

The three kids stood outside, each had a different emotion plastered on their face. Elena was excited to see the results, skipping giggly on her spot while Agnes was shifting between being anxious and terrified while Alex was bracing himself for being called on and laugh at.

"Ready?" Elena turn her head around and asked the other two with her. Both of them nodded, Agnes still look unsure while Alex had a look of resolution on his face.

"Alright then, here goes." Elena suck in air in preparation to shout. "DADDY!" she yell out at the top of her lungs, causing Alex to winced at the volume since he's the nearest and Agnes to block her ears with her eyes shut tight. For a kid, she sure has a very loud voice.

The sound of the smithy suddenly ceased, all the noise that was coming from inside vanished without a trace. The once loud and noisy building transformed into a silent grave as the kids outside waited with bated breath. Agnes had already hid behind Alex while peeking her head out from his shoulder. Alex just narrowed his eyes at the door as he waited. Elena just tilt her head as she clasped her hand behind her back and swing it side to side.

The inside of the smithy was currently shrouded in darkness while the only source of light inside is the small dim light from the forge. The children waited for something to emerge from the darkness like some kind of main casts in a horror movie that knew that a monster was coming but waited for it to show itself before they started to run. Alex question how it is even possible for a place to be completely dark because there aren't any walls to keep the light out, only a fence that act as a barrier to keep people from walking in the blacksmith's workspace. He chalk it up as 'Shit that happens for dramatic moments.' and leave it at that.

A large hand slowly reach out from the darkness and grab on to the side of the doorway. The kids could see the veins on it bulging as it tighten it's hold on the frame before pulling the rest of the body out into the light like a slow dramatic reveal of a villain in the movies that Alex had watched before.

 _The face of a grizzly bear appeared!_ Alex exclaimed inside his head. _No wait, it's just Bob with his grizzly beard._

In order to save time, Alex decided not to describe what he looks like right now and opt to just let people imagine a giant bodybuilding grizzly bear with bulging muscles that's wearing a blacksmith apron and holding a hammer. Yeah…. That sounds just like Bob alright.

Bob's regarded us with a keen eye, but somehow his eyes linger on me the longest with a hint of confusion in them before shifting to Agnes, causing her to flinch and hold me tighter. Then he look around as if in search for something before nodded in sanctification and returning his attention to us. Then he spoke, his personality did a one hundred and eighty. "What's wrong my little princess." he cooed, all smiles and shit while losing his threatening aura that he was emitting.

 _Holy shit, did the big fucking grizzly just cooed!? Why the heck is he smiling like that!? What happen to the normal pissy look that I'm so used to seeing him with!?_ The thoughts ran through Alex's head like a bullet train before crashing into a wall when Elena spoke up.

"Dad~ don't call me that. I'm not a baby anymore." she whined while pouting cutely at him.

"Bwahaha, nonsense. You'll always be my little princess no matter how old you get." Bob guffawed as he place his free hand over Elena's head and ruffled her hair. She squirm under Bob's rough handling as he turn his head to face me with a raise eyebrow.

"So who's this? I never seen her before. But I keep getting a familiar feeling that I know you form somewhere." He commented, giving Alex a scrutinizing look.

Alex was feeling amazed that the disguise actually worked. Bob still haven't figure out that he's the brat that he wants to separate from his precious little princess so much. He briefly wonder his attitude change has anything to do with the only male friend of Elena not being here.

Before he could answer Elena spoke up for him. "This is Alice! She lives on the other side of the village and doesn't come around this part often unless I drag her here." Elena answered with a smile, quickly spinning a bullshit backstory for Alex. She turn to face the crossdresser in question and saw him giving her a blank look that won't look out of place on a person that had been wholly betrayed by his closest friend. Elena quickly jab an elbow into his ribs, earning a slight wince from him before giving a subtle nod towards her father for him to see, silently telling to him introduce himself.

Alex gave her one last glare before sighing inwardly, completely resigning on fighting back and chose to go along with the flow. He turn to face Bob only to see him looking at their exchange with amusement marrying his features.

"Good morning, my name is Alice. Nice to meet you. Elena force me to play with her today so I hope you don't mind." He told him as politely as he could and using a higher pitch in his voice to sound more like a girl while trying to hide the twitching of his eye as he bow slightly.

"Gyahaha, she's a polite one ain't she." Bob said with a grin. "My daughter is a wild one so I hope you can be friends with her even if she seem weird."

"Don't worry, even when she break into people's room, force them to do things even when they don't want do, prick people with her hair, act like a boy most of the time, call her animal army to chase after you because she's mad, cheat in a game in the most unfair way and sometimes throw you to the dogs when things get bad. I would always consider her a friend." Alex said the entire thing with a deadpan.

Elena had the decency to look sheepish as she rubs the back of her neck while sticking her tongue out. Agnes just nodded along while silently acknowledging about the things Elena had done.

"That's the spirit." Bob let out a hearty laugh, completely ignoring all the bad things said about his daughter. Suddenly his face shift into a more serious look as he look at Elena.

"Say, I haven't seen the brat today. How come he isn't following you around today." Bob asked in a serious manner.

 _Oi, it was her that's dragging me around ya prick!_ Alex grumbled in his mind.

"Oh Alex isn't coming today so I bought a replacement." Elena said while point at Alex's direction.

"Hello, I am said replacement." Alex announced with fake cheer. That somehow made Bob happier than before.

"I see, I see." he nods to himself, "So he's not going with you today eh?" Alex could see the slight shaking of his shoulder. Thanks to Alex's sensitive hearing he could hear the snickers emitting from him. He had a slight suspicion that he's trying not to laugh loudly in delight from hearing that the brat won't be near his daughter today. Bob eventually caught himself and cough into his hand. "So, what did ya call me for?" he ask with a wide grin on his face, a bit too wide if you ask Alex.

"Oh yeah, we came by to tell you that we'll be going to the farm now." Elena informed her father like any good kids should when they're going somewhere.

"Eh, sure. As long as the brat isn't going. Stay safe now." he grin broadly while giving them a dismissive wave before returning to work. Alex could hear him let whistling a happy tune as he turn around to return to his forge. Somehow he thinks that he's a bit too happy to hear that he's not spending time with his daughter.

 _I can never look at him the same way ever again._ Alex concluded as he watch his figure retreating into the darkness of the final boss lair. The sound of a working blacksmith restarted and the air was once more filled with the sound of a hammer striking metal.

Alex felt a hand being place on his right shoulder and turn his head to see who it was. Elena had a smug looking grin on her face as she spoke. "See, I told you no one could regonize you."

"Recognize, rec-og-nize." Alex corrected her before letting out a long, defeated sigh as he push away the hand on his shoulder. "Fine, you win." Elena's grin widen before she grab onto his hand and started dragging him off.

"Alrighty then! Off to find Jeanne!" she cheered as she yank on Alex's arm. Alex's response was to grab on to Agnes' hand so that she doesn't get left behind, getting a squeak from the shy girl as she was pull along the porcupine train.

 **-0-**

"Well, aren't you a cute one." Durand Lassois exclaimed with a laugh when he saw a black haired child in front of him, being sandwiched by an energetic spiky redhead and a shy orange bob.

He was slightly surprised to see that Alex was nowhere in sight but even more surprised to see Elena had bought someone new to replace him. He had never seen this raven haired girl being drag around by Elena in the village before so he concluded that she just befriended her today or yesterday.

The three kids were standing right next to the cart by the gate that he was leaning against as he waited for his usual passengers to arrive. Butt Stallion was already prep to move and was waiting (im)patiently for them to get on the cart.

The raven haired girl quickly hides her face in her hands. Durand assumed that it was to hide a blush and made an 'aww' face at her. To those who were watching they thought that she was being shy and blushing at the compliment. But in reality, Alex was contemplating how to 'unman' him with extreme prejudice while groaning into his palms. He really dislike being called cute or be given any form of praise that was meant for the opposite sex. Elena was snickering at his dilemma while Agnes just gave Alex a look of pity with a small smile.

"Don't be shy girly, I'm sure you'll grow up into a fine young women with lots of men chasing after you." he exclaimed with full confidence while giving Alex a thumbs up.

 _Dude, if you don't shut up right now I'm gonna bitch slap your face with your dick that I've cut off before I shove it down your throat and pull it out of your arse._ Alex just gave him a fake smile that's hiding a promise of pain and suffering filled with various vulgar sentences as he think of evil thoughts. Very evil thoughts.

Durand suddenly had a familiar chill crawling down his spine that only happens when he angered the females but he couldn't figure out what might have caused it because he haven't spoke to any of the opposite sex today. He dismissed it entirely as he claps his hands together to get their attention. "So, I'm guessing that Alex isn't coming today right?" he ask the girls. (and boy.)

"No." Alex replied curtly, hoping to get going already so he could get the day over and put on some pants already.

"Have you met him before?" Durand ask Alex and he pretend to be confuse while tilting his head at him before shaking it. "Well, I guess that's a good thing." Durand said while pursing his lips to the side. "I swear that kid is secretly building a harem or something since he's always with a different girl when he's running around the village. Don't need to add you to that list." he let out a jealous sigh as he told them that.

 _I am not building my own harem!….am I?_ Alex thought, feeling unsure as he couldn't remember a time where he around the village alone or with a male friend… _Did I even have any male friends!?_ He made a shocking revelation by himself as his eyes widen considerably. _Oh wait, I do. The d'Arc brothers._ He let himself relax with a sigh.

"E-em, Alex just likes to help people even when we didn't ask for his help. I-it just so happens that the ones he help are girls." Agnes spoke up, trying to defend her only male friend. A lone green eye peek out from her bangs as they sway around when she nods to herself. The three in the area all wondered how she manage to see anything through her bangs when they always seem to be hiding her eyes behind her them. But since she didn't have any problem with it, the three decided to keep quiet on the matter.

Elena place a finger on her lip as she thought about what Agnes just said. "Now that I think about it…. You're right. Alex always seem to have another girl around him wherever he goes." she said out loud as she narrowed her eyes at said crossdressing boy. Alex didn't know why but he could feel warning bells being rung inside his head. His male instincts were warning him of a possible danger from feminine wrath but he couldn't figure out why it was triggered.

"Alright then, time's a wasting." Durand gesture at the cart. "Get on board kiddies." he told them as he climb towards the driver's seat. The trio turn to look at each other before helping each other to get on the cart.

 **-0-**

"Pwetty" a small blond haired child with shoulder length hair at the age of two said as she stare up at the raven haired girl in front of her with admiration sparkling in her amethyst coloured eyes. The blond is wearing a purple gown right now and she still has some baby fat left on her cheeks so it made them look somewhat round. Those who stare at her too long would get an unexplained urge to squeeze her cheeks until they turn red.

Alex could feel his manliness slowly die as Jeanne kept staring at him with those eyes of hers.

"T-thank you." he said, holding back his tears as he didn't have the heart to correct her nor reveal his true gender while petting the adorable blond, earning a happy smile from her.

The trio had already arrived at the farm and they were greeted by the d'Arc brothers and cute little Jeanne. The first thing she did when she saw Alex was walk up to him and utter out that word. Elena was already on the ground trying to breath while laughing while Agnes his silently pats Alex on the back.

It would have been fine if it was only Jeanne calling him pretty, he's pretty sure his already broken ego could take it. But no. That was not the only problem that he encountered when they came here. Alex slowly crank his head to the side, his neck making squeaking sound like metal being bend. What greeted him was the d'Arc brothers but Alex was focusing his sight on one of them.

When Jean d'Arc meet his eyes he blushed and quickly look away.

 _Fuck my life._ Alex groan inwardly. Jean d'Arc has been blushing rather deeply when he saw Alice for the first time. It was also one of the reason why Elena was about to die from asphyxiation.

 _Dude! You're only five! Way too early for a puppy crush._ Alex yelled out inside his head.

Alex snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly felt like he was petting thin air and turn his head back to see that Jeanne was missing from her spot in front of him. He search around to see her standing next to Agnes with a confuse expression on her face.

"Ah-lek not coming?" She asked her, there seem to be a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Agnes had a panicked look on her face, at least Alex thinks so since it's hard to tell what kind of expression she has when half of it is being hidden by her bangs. Agnes was in a bind right now after Jeanne asked her question. She can't even lie to save a life and she really don't want Jeanne to know that Alex is crossdressing as Alice right now. How will she think of him afterwards if she knew? That hopeful look she was giving her was really making it harder not to tell her that Alice was actually Alex and in turn making her and the other three boys look at him differently because of it. Thankfully she was saved when Elena finally pop up from the ground and spoke up.

"Don't worry Jeanne, we'll keep you company." She told her while petting her head. Alex noted that she didn't answer her question at all but let her assume that he wasn't coming on her own. Maybe he shouldn't have taught her how to lie without lying.

The entire area froze over when a small, soft sniffle was heard. Everyone's attention turn to the small blond girl whose eyes are glistening with unshed tears while putting on a sad frown.

"B-b-but he pwomised wee will draw together." she mewled out, stabbing the heart of everyone present. Alex was immediately assaulted by the flashback of the time where Jeanne caught him drawing an awesome armor design on the ground with a stick and ask if he could teach her to draw.

In his haste to stop Jeanne from crying he quickly come up with something to distract her. He quickly wrap his arm around her stomach and pull her into a hug while resting his chin on her head. Then he sway his entire body side to side while keeping Jeanne lock in place, swaying with him.

"There, there. Don't cry." He cooed, still using his female voice that's kinda hurting his throat if used for a long period of time. "Alex is busy making new sweets so you can give them to you the next time he comes over. He ask me to teach you instead."

Jeanne look up, blue eyes meet moist amethyst ones. "Rweally?" she ask.

"Yes, now why don't we go find somewhere where the sun won't bother us to draw, hm?" Alex suggested, mentally noting to create a freaking recipe to make candies with the ingredients he can find in this era when he gets back home. He will succeed in making sweets for Jeanne even if he have to sacrifice animals to Satan to get him to transport things from the twenty first century for him.

"Kay." she nodded, giving a small smile now and everyone relaxed when the figure out she wasn't about to cry. Elena was rubbing the back of her head guiltily because it was kinda her fault that Jeanne almost cried. Agnes goes and pet the little blond that's still being hugged by Alex.

And so the kids went off to play.

 **-0-**

Hours passed without much happening. Alex and Jeanne found a nice tree to sit under as he slowly teach her how to draw on the ground. Elena had somehow summon her legion of the beasts and had pit them against the d'Arc brothers in a game of capture the flag that Alex had came up with (He totally stole that idea from his time). Agnes got interested in what Alex and Jeanne were doing and came over halfway through their game to see if she could join and is doing a great job drawing an impression of what Alex assume to be the aftermath of the Big bang. In short he had no idea what the heck she is drawing but let her do whatever she wants.

Jeanne herself managed to draw an image of Sheldon, the tiny dinosaur who thinks he's a turtle. He was sitting on his back and was trying to give her a hug with his tiny nubs. Alex on the other hand drew Sheldon with a mustache that's playing ball with two Nuko's, a cat like hominidae. Basically, they're chibified cat and human hybrids.

Alex thought since she's a girl she's better suited at drawing cute things instead of things that boys like. He let out a small smile at the sight of a happy blond that seem to be having a time of her life drawing adorable cartoonish characters. Then he let out a sweat drop at the sight of Agnes drawing what he assume to be Cthulhu and the Kraken duking it out in a wrestling ring while wearing spandex. She seem to be completely focusing on it too.

He turn his head around to see what the rest are doing and his eye twitched when he saw Jean trying to impress him by doing something stupid the moment their eyes met. He's trying to get the flag from the sheep full macho style but was ambushed by the sheep's brethren and had his pants pulled down.

Seeing his willy hanging in the open does not impress Alex at all. He has a long way to go if he ever wants to impress the opposite sex. Suddenly a voice drew his attention away from the panicking boy and he turn around to see a mop of blond hair in front of him.

"Ne, ne. Ah-li-su." Jeanne called out while crouching in front of Alex.

"Yes Jeanne?" Alex smiled but internally he was sighing the sigh of the damned. He can't wait to turn back into Alex once today is over. _Wait, why did she sound Japanese just now?_

"How ken I beh pwetty as eu?" She asked cutely while tilting her head, her eyes set with some form of curiosity in behind them. Alex was torn between having his heart melted by her sheer adorableness or have it torn apart by her question. Now he really can't wait to turn back into Alex.

"I-I don't know Jeanne, I didn't really do anything to make myself like this." He told her with a small laugh, silently thinking that he must have gotten his looks from his mother.

Jeanne pats his hand with a nod. "Ten, when eu get bigger. Eu be more pwetty?"

At that moment Alex's mind scape transformed into a Pokemon battle scene.

 **[Masculinity encountered innocent child]**

 **[Innocent child use 'Innocent comment']**

 **['Innocent comment' dealt 500 damage]**

 **[It's super effective]**

 **[Masculinity is barely holding on]**

 **[Masculinity use 'Distract']**

"Don't worry Jeanne, I'm sure you'll be prettier than me when you're older." Alex reassured her while petting her head, earning a happy smile from the girl. He was also thinking that he would need to wrestle with a giant bear to regain some of his pride as a man. Though he neglected to ask why she wanted to be pretty in the first place.

 **-0-**

Eventually it's time to go home and Alex was walking back with Agnes and Elena in tow to meet up with Durand. But he was stopped by a certain male that called out to him.

"Alice! W-will you come again?" Jean d'Arc asked with bated breath as he stood a distance away from him. The sun was slowly coming down in the distance, illuminating the area with a soft orange glow. If Alex wasn't so tired he would have thought the lighting was making things more dramatic then it was suppose to be. Then he remembered what happened today. Jean was trying his best to impress him for some reason, doing things that he normally wouldn't do, always trying to talk to him even though he made it clear he was not interested. He's crushing on him hard. He don't know how to feel about that. He really need to nib this in the bud before it grows worst.

"No, I'm never coming again. I'm sorry but you're way too creepy for my taste." Alex bluntly crush the poor boys heart without even batting an eye and left without even giving him a second glance.

And so, Jean d'Arc had his heart broken at a tender age of five and he never fell in love ever again…. Until he met a girl some point in the future that goes by the name Lara. But by then he was already half convinced that he was gay and Lara had to work hard to set him straight before they could marry.

Alexander on the other hand, had his masculinity damaged to barely recoverable state that day. He thought that he needed to wrestle a giant grizzly cyborg bear that shoots missiles out of it's chest. All while being topless and standing at the edge of the waterfall with explosions going off in the background to regain his manliness. But since there aren't any bears around he would have to settle with Sir Pounce-a-lot.

He lost that day.

Sir Pounce-a-lot: 3, Alex: 0

 **AN: I swear this came out longer than I intended. Anyway, just to let ya'all know that I want to work on a remake on my other fic so this one would most probably take a long while to update. I also want to finish DS3 first before I work on the remake so…. See you all then?**

 **PS: Please give me ideas for a Holy Grail War, like how it's possible for one to happen, how it takes place and how it goes. You know, the basic things. Ideas are always welcome so don't be afraid to share them.**

 **PSS: I might kill off Agnes in the next chapter. Just saying. It really depends on the reviews though.**


	7. Omake: Wasted Pages (Skippable)

**AN: This chapter may cause confusion or outright bafflement due to the sudden shift in mood, settings and other confusing stuff that would only be explained if you read on. It's an Omake, what did you expect? Something that makes sense?**

 **Please note that this chapter is entirely skippable without much consequences. The latter part can also be count as a spoiler for future chapters set after or during time skip.**

 **Also, just to be on the safe side, this story will now be rated M from now on. Cuz you know...war ain't pretty.**

 **-0-**

A man stalks through a forest in the dead of the night. He moves with haste, legs moving without rest and crunching on the dead leaves on the ground while panting tiredly. The air was unpleasantly cold that night and each breath he took caused white vapor come out of his mouth. The sky above him were a pitch black, void of any source of light as the moon and the stars were hidden behind a thick curtain of clouds.

The only source of light that he has was the torch in his hands. The fire on the torch was flickering weakly, crackling with a nearly inaudible sound. It seem as if it would go out at the slightest gust of wind while barely illuminating the path that he treads. His tired eyes were set firmly on the ground, searching to see if there were any roots or rocks sticking out as he move cautiously.

The faint light from his torch cast shadows dancing all around him hauntingly. The trees appeared to be looming over him as he walked underneath them. The darkness made it seem like their branches were stretch out way longer than it should be, shaped like horribly deformed hands with long, pointy fingers, wanting nothing more than to drag him into the very depths of hell.

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew past him. He shuddered against the cold and pulls his cloak closer to cover up his body but it did little to defend him from the chilly air. His free hand went to pat the leather satchel hanging on his side by a strap to see if it was still there. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt the leather by his side.

His torch almost died out completely had he didn't react fast enough and use his body to block the wild gale. The wind roared loudly and the leaves above him were rustling along eerily as the it made it's way across the forest. The branches swung wildly almost snapping from the force, as the courier stopped moving.

When the wind finally stopped blowing, he relaxed a little knowing that his only light in the dark was still lit. But the rustling continued despite the absence of a breeze. His body immediately tensed when he heard it, his heart started beating more furious than before as he wondered if he wasn't alone in this forest as he once thought. He quickly look around and saw tiny movements in the shadows all around him, darting side to side with slowly. He almost panicked but sighed in relief when he realised that they were just leaves falling to the ground.

He let loose a soft chuckle as he shook his head slightly, thinking that his paranoia was getting to him. Then a frown settled on his face when he look around again. Everywhere he looked was an endless stretch of trees caked in shadows. The fire on his torch was not big enough to illuminate more than a few feet around him. Within the dark the trees seemingly merge together to form a maze. It was like they were alive, shifting their position when he wasn't looking, taunting him for even setting foot in this place.

But he knew better than to think that. It was just very hard to tell one tree apart from the other within the dark. The sight itself forcefully reminded him of something he was trying very hard not to think about.

He was lost.

Just what kind of courier gets lost while on the job anyway?

A sense of despair was starting to make itself known to him but he pushed it back through sheer force of will, convincing himself that it would be alright as long as he kept moving before he started walking again. The only sound accompanying him on his journey was the crunching of leaves his boots made and the faint panting of his breath.

He shouldn't have entered this forest in the first place, especially when the sun had already set. He knew that, his gut instincts knew that but it's the shortest way to where he was heading and he really wanted to make it back as soon as possible.

He had miscalculated the amount of time it would take for him to reach his destination. The sun was already starting to set and the next town was far away because there was a dense forest in the way. Usually, people had to circle around it to reach the next town. He had wanted to reach that place before resting in an inn for the night but the people from the last town he was in advice against his current course of action. They told him to rest here instead and told him to wait until morning before continuing his journey but he ignored it and move on, thinking that he would be fine as long as he hurry.

The satchel on his side contains important documents that he needed to deliver to a very important lord post haste; that's why he can't afford to stay at the inn in the last town. He needed to march on even when he's tired and during unfavorable weather conditions. Such is the life of a courier. Now he's worried that he would never reach his destination in time and would have to face the consequences.

He thought that he could cut down the time needed to reach the other town in half if he were to proceed through the forest instead of walking around in a big circle.

But the townspeople had warned him against that too. They say that people always go missing in that forest at night without a trace to be found. But instead of listening to them like any smart person would do and stay behind, he ended up doing exactly the opposite of what they told him to. Now he's lost, alone and getting very worried that be may not find his way out ever again.

 _'But_ _it should be alright once it's morning no?_ _'_ He thought with a faint flare of hope rising in his chest as he tries to reassure himself that everything will be alright. With a more reliable light source he should be able to find his way out of this horrid place. If possible, he never wanted to enter another forest ever again.

To distract himself from the feeling of depression regarding his situation, the courier tries to immerse himself with happy thoughts and memories. He let his mind wander but not so much that he would forget about his surroundings and accidentally trip.

He thought of of his home, way back in England; his warm cozy little house that he couldn't wait to return to once his contract ended. He thought of his wife, his lovely Sophia, the most beautiful woman he had ever known that he was lucky enough to marry. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms again after being gone for so long. Then he thought of his kids. His bundle of joy all wrap up in those tiny bodies of theirs. He couldn't wait to get back to them and tell them stories of what he had seen during his job. He's sure that they would enjoy every bit of it, grinding him for more whenever he stops.

A sad smile reached his face, an immense sense of guilt reached his heart as he feel terrible for letting his wife take care of them on her own. He wanted to be with her to raise their children together.

With him so immersed in his memories, he failed to noticed the wild branch in front of him. His face was smacked by the branch as another wild gale blew by, swinging it towards his face, effectively and rudely snapping him out of his happy trance whilst reminding him that he's still lost in the forest.

The courier sighed, rubbing his throbbing face as he swat the branch away in irritation. The leaves rustled as the branch moved, clearing the path once more for the unfortunate man to trek though.

Seeing the dark, somber atmosphere, the courier couldn't help but recall a certain piece of rumor that he had heard in the tavern during his brief rest in the last town.

It was haunted they say. They say that the spirits had dragged them to the afterlife, wanting them to take their place to hunt the forest so they could finally be free. Some say that they heard a woman crying coming from the trees while some claimed to have seen shadows darting from one branch to another.

Back then the courier scoffed at the absurdity of what he had heard but now...The courier suddenly shivered in place before he hurried along through the dense flora; his eyes darting through and forth around the forest restlessly, checking every tree within sight almost as if he was expecting to see something there while the sound of crunching leaves accompanied his every step ever so loudly.

He's not usually the one to believe in superstition or baseless rumors but even since it became nightfall, he keeps getting this odd feeling that he was being watched. Every time he looked to the side, he thought he caught sight of something moving within the shadows, something large yet vaguely humanoid in shape.

His throat suddenly felt dry he felt fear rising in his heart. He couldn't tell if he's seeing things because of his paranoia or if there's actually something hiding in the dark, just waiting for a chance to get him. But just in case, the courier decided to think that it's the latter just so he would be alert at all times. It's better to be prepared for anything; who knows what kind of wild animal would be wandering in the dark, stalking him like he's some sort of prey.

"There's no ghost, just some wild animal." he murmured those words under his breath repeatedly like a mantra, his eyes clench closed as he tries to get his breathing under control.

It may be an attempt to convince himself that there is no ghost in the forest but he's going to cling to that notion stubbornly for all it's worth.

The courier stilled in his steps as he realised that something was wrong, so very wrong. Thanks his alertness his senses were heightened and because of that, his ears managed to pick up something coming from a distance. The faint sound of someone sobbing.

His tired and sleepy mind instantly became alert. His breathing hitched and his grip on the torch tightened; cold sweat started to slide down his back as his muscles tensed like a coiled spring, ready to burst into a sprint to escape from whatever made that noise. He could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears as his eyes dart everywhere, lifting the torch higher to light up more of his surroundings. The shadows retreated slightly under the flickering light but it was not enough, everything was still shrouded in shadow everywhere he looked.

"W-w-who's there!?" he stammered, his fear clearly obvious to anyone if they were to hear his voice.

The courier waited and waited as he started to swing the torch around along with his entire body, not willing to leave what's behind him unchecked for more than a few seconds. A few moments passed in absolute silence save for the sound of his rapid breaths. Seeing that nothing at all, he looked around more slowly this time, taking in deep breaths as he tries to calm himself down from the sudden adrenaline rush. The sound that caused him to became so frighten was nowhere to be heard and he wondered if he had actually heard it or if it was something his mind conjured up from all the stress.

A few minutes passed by uneventfully and he started chuckling to himself as it all seem so silly. Why was he getting so worked up over those rumours? Tis' most likely those people only vanished because they got lost in the dark and starved to death, maybe even tripped into some sort of hole and died there. Yes that's right, that's a valid explanation for all the missing people.

With a small shake of his head the courier resumed his trek in silence but he didn't made it very far when a sudden realisation struck him like a sledgehammer.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

The usual chirping of insects he had been hearing ever since he entered this forest were eerily silent. It was almost as if they were hiding from something. The wind had died down completely, taking the rustling of leaves with it. The occasional noise wild animals would make were also absent just like the insects, almost as if they were afraid to even make a peep. The forest that seem so alive just a few moments ago might as well be dead right now.

The courier let out a shaky breath before he lick his dry lips. He could feel his entire body shaking in fear and it didn't take much to convince the courier to start moving again. He didn't want to stick around in this forest any longer than necessary. The quietness was just too much for him to bare and the feeling of being watched has returned, this time he has a feeling that whatever's has had their eyes on him would do more than just observe.

"Everything's fine, everything's fine." he said to himself out loud, trying to fill in the silence, hoping that it wouldn't be so terrifying if he did so. But it only made things worst as his voice echoed back from a distance, twisted and distorted in the most frightening way.

"Everything's going to be just fine." his voice cracked as he continue to walk; the trees around him seem to be closely packed together now, almost as if they were trying to block off his route and direct him elsewhere. He didn't want to admit it but he felt like crying. Everything was going so well until he entered this forest; the damn wagon he hitchhiked on just had to break down when he was riding it on the way towards the town, causing him to walk instead. He'd rather be at home, feeling safe and comfortable with his family but he just had to accept the delivery job just so he could earn an extra bit of gold to buy something nice for his wife for once.

Letting loose another shaky sigh, the courier tries to compose himself again. He knows that whining would not get him anywhere in this situation except for wasting his energy so he stopped talking, trying not to mind how quiet it had become.

 **-0-**

The courier lost track of time, he didn't know exactly how long it has been since he had been stuck in this forest. He knew it had been hours but it felt like he had been wandering around for days with no end in sight.

But finally, that feeling of endless wandering came to an end and was replaced with awe when he saw something in front of him, something so large that it was visible in the dark because of it's massive shape. When he got closer, he found that it was a large, dead tree. The courier raised his torch higher to get a better look at it. The tree was humongous, easily centuries old as it stretch upwards like a towering titan, it's branches bare of any leaves and it's body, dry and cracked like he's watching the barren land of a desert.

It was too dark to see clearly at first but he could see something else there, huddled over by the base of the trunk. To his surprise, when he approached the dead tree he could faintly see a figure of another person there.

Then he heard it again, the sound of a woman sobbing and this time, he could clearly hear it coming from the figure in front of him.

It was a was a woman to be precise as he could see long silky black hair that goes down to her waist, hiding most of her body from view. She had her back to him as she kneel on the ground. She appears to be wearing rags as he could see parts of what she was wearing torn and patched up in so many places while her body was hunched over as she shook with wrenched sobs.

The first thought his tired mind managed to think up of upon seeing the woman was that he had finally found another person in this place and his was almost overwhelmed by relief. He wanted nothing more than to go over there to ask if she knew a way out.

But then his mind woke up with a jolt when he realised that the scene in front of him is anything but normal. After careful consideration, a question popped into his mind that drained all colour from his face.

Why is there a woman crying by a tree in the middle of the night?

He had no idea if he should feel relief or afraid that he's no longer alone. The earlier memories of the rumours came back and it only made him more terrified. He tried to shake it away and focus at the woman in front of him.

She looks so vulnerable, battered and broken even, just like a rape victim that you could see everywhere because of the war. It's also not uncommon for bandits to use this kind of tactic to lure passing travelers to see if she was alright. Is that the real reason why people keep vanishing in this forest? A woman, willingly or unwillingly luring them into an ambush set by bandits? Everything about her just screams suspicious now that he thought about it.

He knew that the correct course of action is to turn tail and run but he hesitated. His conscious was gnawing on him as he tries to go against his very nature to help people. He was born and raised to be helpful to others without needing anything in return; it was one of the reasons why his lovely wife fell in love with him after all. That woman by the tree could really be in trouble and needed any help she could get.

He gritted his teeth as he thought about the consequences if he were to head over to help her. He could be brutally murdered by bandits hiding in the trees or bushes or the woman herself could be the killer and she would spun around and stab him in the heart. But if she were in trouble, he could at least help her, maybe she knew a way out of this damn forest and everything will turn out okay. All the bad and good outcome of could happen flashes through out his mind; his emotions were in turmoil as he tries to decided on what to do.

In the end he just sighed and turn his attention back towards the crying woman.

He knew that couldn't live with knowing that he could have helped but didn't. Besides, if it really was a trap then they would have sprung it when he was busy mulling over his options.

Steeling himself for what's to come, the courier starting walking towards the woman while berating himself for even thinking of doing something so stupid and wondering just why he never listened to those settlers back in town.

The courier noticed that the woman had stopped sobbing as he approaches, finally noticing his presence as he drew near. The sound of leave crunching underneath his boots is a dead giveaway after all. She immediately hugs herself close and tries to make herself seem as small as possible, trying staying very still as if hoping that he couldn't see her if she did so. But even so, he could still hear barely audible sound coming from her as she tries to muffle her sobs. Just what on earth happened to her to make her this way?

As he got closer, the torch started flickering wildly as the wind came back with a vengeance; in response he brought the torch down towards his torso, using it as a shield to stop the torch from dying out. By doing so, the lighting became dimmer and the darkness approaches without anything holding it back, shrouding the surroundings like a curtain of blackness. He could feel his fingers twitching in anxiety, not knowing what would happen as he'll have a harder time trying to spot hidden ambushes.

"Are you alright ma'am?" he asked even though she's anything but and receive no response from the woman who didn't seem like she had heard him at all. "Do you need any assistance?" he asked louder this time, hoping to get some sort of reaction from her as his eyes dart around the place, searching for any signs of people hiding in the shadows. The lack of movement from the woman gave him an ominous feeling but he swallowed his saliva and force himself to carry on. Was she purposely ignoring him or was it something else entirely?

The distance between them is merely a feet away; if he were to reach out his arm, he could grab her shoulder. Maybe that will get her attention.

His free hand slowly stretch out towards the woman. His fingers felt oddly cold as they left the warmth of his cloak and he hesitated; his hand linger in the air merely a few meters away from making contact with the woman's shoulder. His eyes dart towards his hand, noting that it was shaking slightly and the feeling of foreboding was crawling up his spine. His attention shifted back to the woman; because of the close distance he could see that her entire body was shaking. He could hear faint murmurs coming from her and it sounded like some sort of prayer.

Knowing that nothing would happen unless he did something, he decided that he should just risk it and see what would happen.

His hand landed on the woman's shoulder and he almost pulled back in reflex at how cold she was while the woman flinched at his touch.

"Ma'am?" he tried again and this time he saw her shifting every so slightly, almost unnoticeable if he wasn't paying attention. He could feel a pit forming at the bottom of his stomach as he realised just how stupid his idea was without any forms of insurance. Sadly, it's too late to turn back now.

The courier was on guard, ever prepared to leap back just in case she was going to spun around to stab him with a knife. He had faith on his speed and stamina despite how tired he was; it comes with being a courier for many years after all. He could probably outrun her if she give chase and maybe even her friends if they were any hiding nearby.

The woman slowly turned around-

 **-0-**

He was running through the woods at breakneck speed; the expression of fear completely etched onto his face as he uses his hands to block and swat away incoming branches. He didn't care where he was going just as long as it wasn't there. He had dropped his torch long ago and now he's practically blind in the darkness as he sprint like a madman. Even a fool knows not to navigate around a dark forest without a source of light but it's too late to do anything about it.

He needed to get away from- from that thing! There was no words to describe what he had just saw. It was not human nor was it any type of animal he had ever seen. He couldn't forget those large, beady eyes of that creature. They were huge, easily three times the size of any human eyes should be; they were also completely black, just like the night sky, void of any iris and pupil. But within those void he could see countless white glinting lights in them, almost as if the stars themselves were shining within them.

His sprint was interrupted when he suddenly fell over and kissed the ground. Leaves were shot into the air before they slowly float down in a mesmerizing dance as his body made a loud thud once it impacted the cold, dirty ground.

Like he had expected, he had tripped even though that was the only thing he should be avoiding when he's running for his life. He quickly pushes himself up and look over at his feet, trying to find out just what he had stumbled upon. It would seem that he had tripped over a root that was sticking out, typical.

He got up post haste, trying to ignore the slight stinging he could feel at his ankle. He prayed to God that he hadn't sprained it because every second he wasted in his limping around like an idiot means more time for that creature to get closer to him.

It was then did he noticed that he had dropped his satchel. He barely made out the shape of the bag in the dark but something else caught his eyes as he noticed that the satchel was opened and white objects were scattered all over the ground.

'Oh no, the documents!' He exclaimed inside his head as he bend over to pick them up hastily. 'Even if I managed to escape this forest alive, the lord would have my head for even dirtying his documents.'

His hands flinched back mere centimeters from touching the papers as he recalled what he was instructed when he received the satchel. He was told never to read them or he would be punished severely. National secret he was told.

But by remembering that little detail, a question popped into his mind. If it was really so important why ask a nameless courier to do the job for them? Wouldn't it be better if they asked someone they trusted instead? Better yet, why can't he remember who it was that ordered him to do the delivery?

He couldn't shake the feeling that he's being swindled so he picked up the notes and put them close to his face while squinting his eyes to see just what was written on it in the darkness. If he was going to die because of this thing, he might as well find out just what it is he was delivering that was so important that he had to go through so much because of it. Granted that it was because of his poor planning that got him into this situation but still, he wanted to know.

When he finally saw just what he had been carrying around like some piece of ancient treasure, he felt like he had been slapped on the face and his pride of being a courier was being trampled on.

Doodles!? He was asked to deliver a child's doodles!?

In his hands were papers with weird and childish drawings, creepy and twisted drawings to be exact. There were eight pages, some were filled with sketches of what he presumed to be about man while others had words in them. He couldn't read what was written on it because it was too dark but just by seeing the drawings somehow filled him with discomfort.

He wondered what kind of demented person would draw something like this but the sound of rustling bushes dragged him back to the present and reminded him that he was being chased.

He quickly spun around to face the direction where the sound was coming from and lo and behold, the thing chasing him burst out of the bushes like a demon coming out of the pit to hell just to devour him.

"Ayy lmao" It called out as soon as it saw him. The courier didn't had the change to see what it really looked like at first. He just ran away from it the moment it saw it's eyes. Anyone would have done the same thing as he did. Those gigantic marbles could never fit on a human's face, it managed to evoke a primal response to flee from danger in the courier but now, now there's nothing stopping him from laying his eyes fully on the creature that stood before him.

The creature stood with a small hunch on it's back and it towered over him with ease even if he were to stand at his full height. It was still dressed in the rags it was wearing before and when the thing took a step forward, it's wig slid off effortlessly revealing a large, round and bald head. It's face was void of any features except for those eyes of it's. How it could talk at all is still a mystery as it didn't have any mouth to speak with. He could see that it's entire skin was green too as it reach out it's long, boney fingers towards him in an attempt to grab him.

How he managed to mistook that thing for a harmless woman is anyone's guess. That thing looked like God somehow got drunk and made a person had sex with a mole rat and he's looking at their child.

In response to the appearance of the creature, he immediately drop the notes, turned around and ran while screaming in a very manly voice that did not, in anyway, sound like a woman's.

Sadly, not even four steps away from the strange monster he fell into a pit that suddenly appeared before him as the earth collapse into itself like the maw of a giant beast being opened. The courier could feel his feet going though the hole on the ground as his eyes widen to the point where they would pop out if they open any bigger.

He hit the dirt a few meters below and let out a groan of pain as he lay there with his limbs sprawled out. He spent a few seconds trying to recollect himself before pushing himself back up with his shaky arms. He failed a few times before he finally managed to get back up. He tried his best to ignore the pain flaring all over his body as he lean against the walls to keep himself from falling down again.

"Ah ha! Anozeer Hooman zaas fallen tu our trap!" The courier heard someone spoke with a mocking tone and in a weird accent coming from above. He weakly crank his head up, expecting to see the creature that was hunting him only to be surprised to see there were actually more of those creatures now. They were circling around the hole he had fallen into, like predators looking down on their prey before they pounce and kill it.

"And now, Vee prozeed to phaze too." The same one spoke said as it rubs it green hands together like some sort of evil mastermind whenever something goes as planned for them.

"Sir, must you really speak like that?" Another one of those green alien standing next to the first spoke up. By the tone of it, it sounded very exasperated by the first one whom he presumed to be the leader.

The leader turned to face the one that spoke and shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "Eh, tradition." it simply stated normally before pointing a finger at the third one. "Drop za bomb." it commanded with that weird accent again.

"W-what?" the courier managed to croak out before he witness the third alien drop something inside of the pit right next to him. He tried to get away from whatever it was, to put some distance between him and it but alas, it exploded the moment it touched the ground in a bright, blinding light and everything went white.

 **-0-**

The courier awoke with a long and painful groan. He felt so horrible right now; the nausea that he was feeling was the worst he had ever felt in his entire life and he had experienced plenty of hangovers before and none of them could compare to what he was feeling right now. The back of his head felt like someone lit up barrels of gunpowder in there with the intention of giving him the worst headache imaginable. He could feel his head throbbing painfully and hear the irritate ringing in his ears while his entire body felt like someone had stuffed rocks into his muscles, too heavy to even move while his senses were numbed to the point where he couldn't feel anything else besides the headache and the urge to empty his stomach. Hell, he couldn't tell if he's laying down or standing up right now.

"The subject is awake sir." he heard someone spoke and his body tensed immediately. Someone was here with him and from what he could tell, it was more than one. Whoever it was, they know that he was awake. His loud groaning earlier must have alerted them.

The courier quickly open his eyes to see just what was going on but immediately regretted it as a bright light shone into his eyes. He slam them shut again and let out a pained cry as his eyes stung from the flash.

When the stinging subsided, he opened them again more slowly this time and was greeted with the sight of his captors standing around him. Those green, grotesque aliens were looking at him like some sort of art in an exhibit. He tried to move, to swing his arms outward to punch the closest one in the face before attempting to escape only to find that his limbs were tied up to a metal table that he's laying on with his stomach. He also realised that he was completely naked and was on full display for the aliens.

"Ah, it appears that the subject is already trying to escape sir. I recommend that we shouldn't waste any more time." the second one said to the leader

"Then prepare ze Anal probe." the leader ordered, pointing at the third one who dutifully pulled out something long from behind his back. The courier stared at the object at hand wondering just what they were going to do to him before he finally registered what the alien leader had said. He didn't understand what a probe means but by the word anal, he could take a wild guess and couldn't help but point out one important thing.

"That's a baguette." he said in disbelief as he stared at the piece of bread in the green one's hand. "It's not fitting in anyone's anus anytime soon." The courier pointed out with a slight hint of fear in his voice.

"Not vith zat attitude it vont." The alien leader chided him while waving it's finger before turning it's attention to the one holding the bread. "Vou know vhat tu do." it spoke with a mad crackle and the third one nodded dutifully.

"Good, then spread ze butt cheeks." the leader commanded the second one and instantly, the courier felt someone's hands on his buttocks and spread them apart like someone opening the gates to the forbidden garden.

"Butt cheeks spread, sir." the courier heard someone spoke from behind him.

"Commence ze insertion." the order was given with glee.

The courier let out a cry of shock and surprise as the third alien did as it was instructed. He felt his anus bloomed as it was spread apart by the piece of bread. His rectum, violated as he felt it being shafted... by a freaking piece of bread of all things. The courier started crying when the procedure was done all while the alien leader crackle madly to itself. He lost his anal virginity to a fucking bread for fuck's sake, he's allowed to cry about something like this.

"Begin ze Transformation!" The leader pulled out some weird box with a red looking circle in the middle and pressed it.

 **-0-**

When the courier woke up again he found that his entire body had changed. No longer was he a tall average looking English man like he was before. He was now a ridiculously tall, white skinned and blank faced man wearing some kind of black suit with tentacles spreading out of his back.

Then he found a note in his hands.

 _Hey._

 _If you're reading this then you should know that you're no longer human. If you ever wanted to become human again, you would need to remove the anal probe from your rectum. But we made it so that your hands would be too big to enter your butt hole and your tentacles wouldn't go anywhere near them. Only the hands the size of children could fit in your butt now._

 _You'll also need to find those notes that you've dropped, otherwise we would hunt you down and ram another probe inside your ass if you ever remove it. Oh, for extra challenge we made it so that you can't touch the pages and will need to get someone to do it for you._

 _Well then, wish you luck. No time to stay and observe for now because we need to check on how Big Foot's doing after being left in the mountain._

And thus, Slenderman was born.

He stalks the forest at night to hunt for the missing pages and kidnap kids because their hands were the only size that could fit his butt hole and pull out that piece of bread and touch the pages that he needed to collect.

….

…

….

Wow….my brain comes up with the strangest things when it's bored. I still couldn't help but think that I'm forgetting something thou-

Oh right, I forgot the write the date. Silly me.

 **1429, July, 17**

There, done. I wonder if I should just force it at the top of the entry but hey, it's not like anyone else is reading my stuff right?

But just in case...

You! Stop reading my stuff whoever you are! I'm warning you that you'll be cursed if you ever touch this book! Though given that you're already so far into it, it probably didn't manner. Hope you like being bald jerk.

Well then, Diary, you're probably wondering why I wrote something so bizarre on you but let's be honest with each other here. That's it's not the strangest thing that I've ever written on you to date.

Well the answer to that question as to why I'm so bored, it's because the caravan is taking too long to reach it's destination. I suspect that Butt Stallion is deliberately taking her time to get us there. I've seen how fast she could run even when she's carrying a cart filled with heavy shit so I know she's just messing with me on purpose.

At least Butt Stallion #2 isn't as mischievous as her mother.

Right now we're heading to Chinon and by we, I mean me, Jeanne and Elena...and also an escorts whose name I couldn't remember for the life of me because he's like a generic background character. I keep forgetting that he's even there most of the time even if he's traveling right in front of us.

The girls are quite okay with the speed that we're traveling with though. In fact, they think that we're traveling quite fast already. So I guess that means that I'm really spoiled by the teleportation circle that I've build. Really man, instant transportation. Who would even consider using normal transportation methods after getting a taste of that?

Shame it was destroyed though.

Oh well, nothing I can do about that since rebuilding it would take too long and the Ley lines were utterly fucked up when it was destroyed. Finding a new suitable place to make another would take too long, especially when my time is slowly running out now that Jeanne is going to join the war.

I had tried to convince her not to go or to wait a bit longer but the girl is more stubborn than a mule once she set her mind on something.

My only job here is to ensure that Jeanne and Elena make it to Chinon safely because you won't know what would happen nowadays...also I promised their parents that I would before I go on my own merry way and do my own thing.

They're big girls now, they don't need me constantly fretting over them like a mother hen….*Sob* they grow up so fast. It seems just like yesterday that I had to stop Elena from shoving an earthworm down her mouth and constantly changing my clothes because Jeanne kept peeing and barfing on me.

Anyho, I need to rendezvous with Merlin and [word erased with ink being scribbled over] Tai. [the rest of the paragraph was illegible due to the ink fading too much. It was presumed that he continued writing without dipping the quill in the ink bottle.] brother so he could beat the crap out of him for us while we watch on the sidelines. Preferably with popcorn.

Or maybe I should check up on Feathers first to see how she's doing before we go. (Actual name still in debate because Merlin and Tai won't let me name her however I want. Pricks. What's wrong with calling her Tyrannosaurus Rex? She certainly sounds like one when she's hungry.). Still no idea how I should feel about being a father at such a young though and I'm incredibly worried about her for some reason even though I've already take plenty of precaution to her safety.

We even have Roxy looking after her, a freaking Dire wolf the size of a horse with a gigantic sword strapped onto her back that she could use like a pro. Then there's Merlin and Tai, people who are in a completely different level altogether that it made the strongest Magi in this era look like harmless insects.

Fighting either one of them is like trying to complete Dark Souls blind folded while using a Rock band Guitar controller with only one hand while simultaneously jerking off with the other….not that I've tried it mind you.

Even with all that I'm still worried that it's not enough! Merlin and Tai said that it's already overkill but I'm not convinced. Father instincts maybe?

Not sure if I should be leaving a baby barely a few months old in Merlin's hand at the moment considering what kind of person he is. But at least Tai would be there to pitch in when it became too much for the old perv. Roxy's there too but I doubt she could change diapers with her paws nor her teeth. Unless she learned it when I wasn't looking. Can Dire wolves change diapers? I hope so, it would certainly save me some of the hassle.

But if Merlin teaches Feathers anything inappropriate while I'm gone then I swear on every deity that's still alive at the moment that I will find a way into Avalon no matter how hard or absurd it is, say hi to Arthuria while I'm there (and maybe Shirou if he's already there), find Merlin, and castrate him on the spot before brutally mutilating him with a chainsaw. Then I'll leave the place like the badass mafia boss that I am while Arthuria watched slack jawed at how I just killed her trusty adviser.

I really doubt Merlin could die so easily though. My previous attempts to kill him had showed me that much. I swear that freaking wizard is harder to kill than cockroach. He's basically an Immortal Jellyfish in human form. I thought Wizards are suppose to be weak and fragile; but I guess that stereotype doesn't apply to Merlin. That guy might as well be a fucking tank with how much damage he could soak up and could still kick my ass without even trying.

But seriously though, if I ever discover that he was teaching Feathers some weird perverted shit. Chainsaw. Right up his anus.

He would be wishing that I was using a lubed up baguette.

Still need to invent it first though. (Note: invent sunglasses while I'm at it so I can wear it while making dramatic exits...or lame puns)

No diary, I am still not over the fact that he tricked me into entering a brothel.

Yes you've heard me complaining about that before.

Normally any guy would be happy when they entered a brothel because of all the tits and sex they would find there. But it's not a normal brothel and I have not mentioned that before because I just wanted to forget that day and left a lot of details out of that entry.…. Like seriously, the only thing I put there was 'Fuck Merlin.'

As to the reason why I wanted to forget...

It's a freaking gay brothel for men!

I swear my eyes were burning from the sight of all the things going on in there.

I thought homosexuality was suppose to be considered a sin in this era!? What the freaking hell dudes?! And why were they so interested in getting their dicks inside my ass!? Hell, they whipped them out faster than I could finish saying 'what the fuck'.

The townsmen never figured why there was a closed down brothel filled with bodies of dead men covered in sperm and erected penises.

The city guards also had one hell of a mess to clean up, that's for sure.

Safe to say I've taken to wearing a chastity belt after that event. It's weird and somewhat heavy but hey, at least it also acts as a crotch guard. Nut shots can be easily shrugged off now so that's a good thing in my book.

I still need to managed the ever growing family that I have. Still have no idea where Minion #3 keeps finding all those new guys but hey, I get more manpower so who am I to complain about it.

It certainly makes production easier and soon, I would have a small yet fully equipped band of mercenaries ready to bring Europe down to it's knee with twenty first century warfare tactics and shit ton of explosives (Still expecting that shipment of sulfur though.). With a decent amount of discipline and training even a small band of soldiers can be the deadliest piece on the board in this game of genocidal chess. Soon, they will notice the anomaly that rightfully shouldn't exist- a.k.a me and my mercenaries- and will take action to remove me by any means necessary.

But I'm not worried.

All those years of preparation isn't for nothing after all.

I couldn't help but smile with anticipation at the thought of decimating my opponent and unhinging all of their carefully laid out plans just to get them railed up. Then I will enjoy the look on their faces when they realised just how royally screwed up they are when they find themselves losing all of their assets while I ran amok and ruin everything for them. Then I shall bask in their panic as all of their agents started to drop dead for one reason or the other before I hack off the head of the snake to end everything.

Oh, the fun of unadulterated chaos. It never gets old.

When all is said and done I would sit on the throne inside my castle made entirely out of the bones of my enemies while I drink wine from the skull of whichever King I managed to uncrowned along with his head. The Iron throne ain't got nothing on my skull throne.

Hmm, now that I think about it, I guess the Iron throne has more value than mine. After all, the iron throne was made of swords of people that swore fealty to the King as he unified the Kingdoms. Mine just show how many people I had to massacre just to get a comfy seat and house.

Yeah...totally getting ahead of myself there with the bone fort. I doubt it could even withstand a catapult assault. Heck, just swing a sword at it and it'll crumble like wet tissue paper.

Sadly, there will be no taking over all of Europe mainly because it would be impossibly unrealistic and secondly, it would take too much death before they would bow down to me and I'm suppose to stop too much people form dying like flies, not accelerate the rate of death per day.

But seriously, between my own personal army (albeit a small one for now but will grow with time) and the amount of firepower all packed up inside my own body, taking over Europe would be a piece of cake. But maintaining control of it would be a whole different story altogether. Sides' I don't think I would stop at Europe once things get going. Maybe it would be the entire world if I ever get drunk of power and you know who would be deployed to end my life just like she promised….

Anyho, end goal is still the same. Stop Jeanne from being burned to death and ending the war waaaaay earlier than it's suppose to. Preferably without causing mass genocide or a holocaust.

Victory is essential, there can be no alternatives.

Jeanne's life depends on it after all.

After that well...maybe I can convince the world that magic is real or something? I dunno, sounds kinda far fetch. Maybe rekindle the belief in gods then? It would stop the age of gods from dying completely at least and magic would still remain as strong as ever or maybe even stronger like how it used to be back in the old age just like how I explained in my older entries.

As I re-read just what I have written above, a grim realisation dawned upon me and I was left with a frown and a new set of worries.

Feathers really needs a better role model as she grows up…it certainly couldn't be me mainly because I was fucked up in the head at some point in my life. Just read what I've just written for fucks sake. That's some morbid shit right there and I have no problem with going though most of what I had written.

But who to consider. The males that I know is automatically out of the question because they're males and I don't really want them near Feathers for a good amount of reasons…

Oh my god... is this how Bob felt when I'm with Elena?

To think that I could actually sympathize with the old man after so many years and all it took was having a daughter of my own to look after. I'm not going to go all grizzly bear on every male that tries to get close to Feathers now am I? God, I hope not. I doubt I could actually pull off the papa bear act as well as Bob nor am I so grumpy looking all the time with a semi- permanent frown on my face. Then again, he could be frowning because I'm close to his baby girl.

I did see a side of him that he never showed to me though. It was that time when I had to cross dress when Elena and...

Hmm… I think there was someone else there but for the life of me I can't remember.

Anyho, speaking of Bob; maybe I should inform him that Feathers' his granddaughter just for the lawlz. Naturally he won't believe me at first but after I show him Feathers, he would have no choice but to believe me seeing that Feathers resembles Elena a lot with a mixture of me in there. Red hair like hers and blue eyes like mine, not to mention the bubbly personality that Elena has...and also the tendency to eat earthworms. Very, very, squirmy earthworms. Fresh from the earth too.

It'd be fun to see his reaction to the child but not before putting Elena between me and him. I'm not that suicidal after all.

But still, first things first. Escorting Jeanne and Elena to Chinon, then leave to do my thing once the girls are safely there. Not sure how Jeanne is going to convince the royalty to let her join the Army but who cares. This is Jeanne we're talking about for crying out loud. Her charisma level is so damn high it's not even funny.

I saw her convince a freaking boulder to move one time.

It must be the puppy dog eyes. That skill get deadlier the older she gets. Heck, if she uses that then stopping this war would be a walk in the park.

Look out world! The future Saint is going to make herself known and probably going to convince you all to lay down your arms with her puppy dog eyes!

Hmmmmm, I get the feeling that I've thought of that idea before. Shit, my memory isn't as good as before. Must be getting old.

Oh right, role model for Feathers. Completely went of track there.

The current list of people that I can trust to raise Feathers is quite small. In fact, I can count them with my hands have still have some fingers left to spare to bitch slap someone. And guess what, they're all women….the amount of women that I know is strangely high for some reason.

The main person that I had in mind is Jeanne. But considering what she's going to do and what kind of person she is, I think I'll opt for Catherine instead. Don't need another saint appearing after all. Elena is the last resort because I don't need Feathers to grow up like her. One Elena is already hard enough for the world to handle; no need to add another one to the list.

I dread the day where I had to introduce Feathers to the rest of the girls. There's totally going to be a lot of questioning, I guarantee it. I pray that Merlin and Tai doesn't make it worst by adding fuel to the fire by saying things that aren't true just for the lawlz.

Worst comes to worst, I could always hide out in Italy until the girls finally calmed down again.

Well then, I'm out of things to write so end of entry. See you in the next one Diary.

 _Hey Alex, just what is it that you've been writing on your book for so long? You barely even talked to us during the entire ride until we set down for camp._ [Written in French]

 _I don't even understand anything that was written here. Is this even a real language? It looks more like weird symbols than anything else._

 _Elena! Stop taking my stuff without permission! Also, it's encrypted and I never taught you the cypher so of course you would think it's strange symbols. Wait a minute? I don't know why I'm even writing this down. I'm going to hide this whenever I have to leave my stuff behind when I have to go somewhere that's for sure._

 _Don't be so stingy~ And what's Japanese? I've never even heard of something like that before._

 _Oh. My. God. How did you even find my diary!? I hid it so well before I left!_

 _Hiding it under your bag doesn't count as a good hiding spot, neither is hiding it in the cart._

 _I had it on me at all times this time and yet you still managed to take it from me without me noticing. Seriously, stop. It's my things that you're messing with and paper and ink is expensive!_

 _Nope._ [A crude and childish drawing of the face of woman with spiky hair sticking out their tongue and pulling down their eyelid was placed next to the sentence.]

 _Alex, Elena, please stop fighting inside a book._

 _Oh no, no you too Jeanne._

 _Sorry._ [A very detailed drawing of a woman with long hair tied into a ponytail lowing her head in an apologetic manner was placed next to the sentence.]

 _Hey, neat_ _drawing. I won't lose to you Jeanne!_ [Childish drawing of someone pointing a sword upwards with a shield in front in a heroic pose was placed next to the sentence]

 _It is unwise to challenge me when it comes to drawing Elena. You should know that I've been doing this since I was but a young child._ [The drawing of a woman waving a finger with a smile was placed next to the sentence]

[The next few pages were littered with drawings and sentences as well as ink splotches. You could tell who drew what by the quality of the doodles. They were clearly getting more competitive as the pages went on.]

 _Girls! Sthap!_

 _Stop using my dairy to have your drawing contest! If you wanna do it do it somewhere else but please leave my dairy alone! It's private property. Expensive private property. It's really troublesome to bind the papers into a leather cover to make a book you know._

 **1429, July, 19**

So, update.

After having my diary stolen from me multiple times by a certain red porcupine (even after I stuffed it inside my pants) just so they could have their drawing competition, I decided that the best way to keep my diary safe from the clutches of these mischievous ladies was to give into the inevitable. Which is kinda a pointless seeing that they had already used up almost all of the pages in this diary.

Anyway, I gave Jeanne her very own sketchbook that she could use to pass the time. Only Jeanne though, since books are expensive and I'm very stingy with my money. It's not like Elena is going to put it to good use when I give her one. I have no doubt that it would be lost and forgotten at some point during our journey. So I'll just save myself the trouble of making her a sketchbook and use my time to do more productive things instead. Things like napping.

Very productive indeed.

Jeanne looked so happy when she received her gift I ended up petting her head just like the good old days, something I haven't done in years. But now that she's all grown up, she reacted rather embarrassed and shyly rather than all smiles and wanting more. She even told me to stop, something kid Jeanne wouldn't do. I miss kid Jeanne. She was so cute and moe that I couldn't help but want to glomp her at every available opportunity.

Being the bastard that I am, I ignored her request to stop and ended up pulling her in an arm lock and ruffle her hair into a tangled mess and that got her even redder. Oh, how I just love messing with her. It's just so fun.

It didn't help that what's his face was watching our antics in amusement and snickering to himself. Jeanne was trying her best to escape from my grasp while requesting to be treated as a grown up as she shot Elena a plead for help. She eventually gave up though and I think she was purring. In response to that, I just started stroking her head like I would to a kitten.

Old habits die hard I guess.

I'm treating the future Saint like a cat and there's no one in the world that can stop me. Mwahahahaha.

And of course, Elena was somewhat upset about something and demanded that I give her equal treatment in the most childish way possible via jumping in and tackling us to the ground.

Hey dairy, I think Elena's jealous because I gave Jeanne a sketchbook and not for her. Can't tell why though. It's just a book.

My body still hurts from all those spikes on her head as she rammed her head onto my back. Yes, I'm over exaggerating about that. But still, it's prickly. She could be a Square Enix protagonist with how spiky her hair is.

Oh wait, mine's spiky too.

Both of them were laughing as we hit the ground while I groan in pain because I was used as the cushion for their fall. The entire thing reminded us of the past where we would play childish games with each other, just laughing and doing our things without a single care in the world. It kinda lifted some of the tension the girls was feeling at the moment which is nice. I can tell that Elena has been very worried about Jeanne while Jeanne herself is confident in how everything would turn out, there's still signs that she's nervous.

So, after we got up, I gave the girls a little pep talk which I pulled straight out of my ass. Granted that I'm never really that good at speeches but I think it worked somewhat as they were smiling afterwards and look a lot more confident about their future.

And of course, I received hugs for my troubles, which is also nice.

What's his face was muttering something under his breath which I was getting hugs though.

In the end of the day I ended up giving Elena her own sketchbook because what the heck, might as well. Elena was delighted when she received it and I'm uncertain what became of it now. Last I saw the sketchbook it was somewhere in the cart. Now it's just missing.

Like I've said before, paper and ink is expensive. Thankfully, my coffers were filled to the brim with shit ton of money so that's not much of a problem. It may be illegally acquired money but still money nonetheless and I shall use them sparingly because of the war. With the amount I have I could be swimming in my wealth but coins are hard to swim in...not to mention smelly. I wonder when paper money would be invented.

All that aside, Jeanne's getting really good at drawing. She could be an aspiring artist if she keeps this up but noooooo, the old man upstairs just had to go, 'Jeanne! You need to save the world!' and shit. Though I doubt that's what he actually said. I don't really know since the way Jeanne explained her vision is hazarded at best.

Also, a little reminder for future me. Build the nuke and sent it directly towards the almighty Lord's face. You know what he did. I'd say he deserves it. In fact, forget the nuke. Let loose an army of angry 21 century feminist on their periods on Heaven as they demand equality and shit! Let them unleash their unfathomable feminine fury unto Heaven and let them riot to their hearts content.

Hell, I'll invite Satan along so we could enjoy the chaos unfolding in where the Angels dwell.

Fuck, why didn't I think of that earlier. It would be so much cooler than sending a nuke.

Man, just thinking about Jeanne's destiny gets me all depressed. Why can't it be someone else...oh yeah, no one else is as selfless as our little blond here. Sigh~ I swear she gets in more trouble than I could count. She's more like a kid than you would expect from what you've read of her in the history books. Then again, she is only sixteen.

Sixteen and already going to war because some old douche told her to need I remind you.

Definitely going to unleash hell on Heaven if I ever find a way to get there.

Oh well, nothing I can do about that but try my best to keep her safe. If only I could remember just what happened that caused her to be captured and burned alive so I could stop it before it happened. Kinda wish I actually paid attention to history class now.

Another thing to note is that I'll be needing a new diary soon since this one is almost finished because of the girls. Really, what a bunch of wasted pages….but at least those drawings will be something I can look back on with a smile whenever I get lonely or depressed.

Oh hey, there's still one last page left. Hmm, I wonder what I should put there.

OH!

That could be a nice finishing touch for this diary seeing that most of it was filled with doodles anyway.

[A rather faded image of Alex, Elena and Jeanne were standing next to each other on a grassy hill with a lush field in the background. The spiky haired male stood in the middle with his arms wrap around his two companion's shoulders, pulling them in for a group hug. They were all smiling without a single care in the world.]

Heh, still got it. Those two ain't got nothing on my mad drawing skills.

 **-0-**

An old man smiled as he stared at the drawing on the last page of the book he was holding. He close the old and worn book in his hands, emitting a small puff of air that escapes the closed pages as he did so. He placed it down on the table along with the rest of the diaries in front of him gently, careful as not to damage the ancient artifact left behind long ago. His other hand was holding onto a to a pen, twirling it before tapping one end against a large stack of paper on the desk filled with the decrypted passages from the diary, the results of those who had tried their hand at deciphering the diary. He was simply continuing their work of his predecessors. He place the pen down and lean back against the wooden chair he was sitting on, emitting a small creak from it and let out a small breath as he let his shoulders relax.

It was clearly late into the night as you could see the stars and moon hanging in the sky right out his window. The room he's in was void of any lighting except for the moonlight shining in and the small lamp on the table, beaming down upon the desk so he could work on decrypting the diary. Even in the darkness, one could see plenty of books all littered around the place and stacked up like mountains.

"Still trying to decipher the Founder's diary Director?" a young female voice spoke up from the front, causing the old man to turn away from his desk and look up towards the speaker. A young woman had entered his office carrying a small stack of papers in her arm. She closed the door to his office just as he had turned his attention towards her.

"Ah, if it isn't my lovely assistant. What brings you to my office at this hour Lilly?" The old man greeted the lady, his voice was soft and warm, one you would usually hear when a grandparent talk to their grandkids.

The woman was wrapped in a dark blue cloak with gold linings running down it's edges, hiding her attire under it. The hood was propped up, hiding most of her face from view as she continue to head towards the old man with graceful steps.

The cloak is traditional attire for the Mage's Association worn by the people during the Founder's era. But nowadays it just serves as a fancy outfit and it's not really required to wear it at all times but the Barthomeloi family had always been suckers for traditions and regulations. Lilly was not an exception.

"I would suggest taking a rest from all that but I know you would ignore it anyway. You know it's impossible to decipher even one diary in one lifetime right?" the woman continued as she stopped in front his desk. The old man just nodded with a smile as he place his elbows on the desk with his hands clamp together and rest his chin on them.

The old man turn to the diary with a twinkle of admiration in his eyes "Ah yes, that much is true. Even after so many generation of trying, and groups of people working together, we barely managed to decode one third of his diaries. Get one letter wrong and the whole paragraph is ruined. The Founder is really a sadistic person to make such a complicated code. It usually takes a few decades just to translate a few pages from his books. The codes just keep changing without any meaning, no sense of proper direction. There's just so much we could learn from him. How did one man managed to do so much to change the world in just one lifetime? If only we could find the original cipher…" The old man trailed off with a sigh before looking at his assistant again. "Oh yes, you came here for a reason haven't you, young Barthomeloi? Is there something you need?"

"Here's today's report that you will need to check through." The woman place the stack of papers on the old man's desk with a small smirk, causing the old man to stare at it with disdain clearly present on his face.

"Ugh, paperwork." The old man muttered in annoyance. "I just wish I could retire as the Director already."

"You can't do that sir. Everyone has agreed that you should be the Director of the Mage's Association until you kicked the bucket. No one else wants to suffer through all that tedious paperwork for as long as they could help it after all." the woman replied to his complain straight faced, standing in a straight and refine manner.

"Oh, I feel so loved." he grumbled sarcastically with a roll of his eyes as he gave into the inevitable and started sorting though all the papers on his desk. "Anything else you would like to add to my list of ever growing responsibilities Lilly?" The old man sighed as he wondered if he could fake his death somehow, just to get away from all the work he had to do and continue on his lifelong hobby of decrypting the Founder's diaries.

"There is one thing that I wish to inform you. One of the Enforcers found something during his assignment. Emiya Kuro seem to have found a Journal of Richard Barnier, one of the first generation Seeker that vanished without a trace during the fifteen century." She took out a book from her cloak. It looked just as ancient as the ones one the old man's desk, bounded in leather and had faint traces of magical residue, most likely a spell that keeps it from deteriorating more than it already is.

The old man perked up upon hearing the news and sat up straight upon seeing that book in his assistant's hand. "Ah! The Seeker of Truths, Truth Seekers, Recorders of History, Watches of Time. So many names for those guys and we could never really agree to stick with one. I never really understood why the Founder created their division just to record history down through multiple views and compile them all together." The old man reached out his arms like an eager child waiting to receive candy. "No wait, I can think about that later. Just gimme that book already, I want it and I want it now." he demanded childishly, unbefitting for someone his age.

"Perhaps he just wanted History to be remembered correctly without being twisted by the passage of time. They do say that History is written by the victor after all. The truth will be bended just so a side will shown in a bad light when they were actually the victim. Or maybe this is his way of of preserving the memories of the people from the past? We'll never know his true intent unless we met him so I don't see why we should bother ourselves with the decisions of a man from the past." Lilly said as she handed him the book with an amused smile. It's rather odd to see the old man act like a child, especially when he's the most powerful man on earth that she had ever known.

The old man grabbed the book with care, his eyes shone with the hunger for knowledge in them as he examined the book with a scrutinizing gaze. "True. It really doesn't matter what or why the Founder do things because in the end, his goal is still the same. His will had been pass onto us and we are tasked in keeping his wish alive."

"Peace and Harmony between the Humans and the Supernatural creatures." Lilly recited it from her memory. It was basically something that was drilled into them they moment they joined the Association.

"Yes, a goal that had already been realised during the seventeenth century but maintaining it however..." The old man quickly started to flip though the book, thinking that maybe it would contain the original cipher. He was undoubtedly disappointed when he found that the Journal was also encrypted just like the Founder's diary. He frown as he remembered that the first generation of the lots used the same encryption like the Founder had. The encryption was never taught to the second generation of Seekers so the Ciphers all died along with the Founder and the first generation of Seekers, just to prevent as many people from reading them for as long as possible.

He used to think that the Founder likes to make things challenging for the future generation. But from the things that he had read in his diaries, he could tell that the Founder was basically just an asshole that likes to mess with people, even in death.

The Director let out a long sigh as he set down the book. "I wonder if I would actually learn more about the Founder before I die." he murmured as he thought about how long it would take to even decipher even a page from the newly found journal.

The woman in front of him frowned at his words before it was gone, replaced with the perfectly composed expression that she always wore. The feeling of sadness was wailing up in her chest before she forced it down through sheer will. It was no secret that the old man is running out of time, everyone in the association knew but never brought it up. They were content to pretend that he would be fine but those who weren't were already steeling their hearts and hope that he doesn't die the next day.

The old man had been like an over-energetic grandfather to them all. He took care of them and helped them though thick and thin. He may get a little nosy at times and liked to butt in at things that didn't concern him but that was one of his charms.

While people wouldn't admit it, they rather enjoyed having him watching over them. Even Tohsaka, someone who'd always do things alone, confessed that he enjoyed the old man's presence.

"Don't worry old man, you still have plenty of years ahead of you." Lilly told him, forcing a smile on her face.

"Pff, of course I do. I'm still so young." he said haughtily as he cross his arms and let out a huff.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash coming from below, followed by the sound of something exploding and a tremor that shook the entire room. The books that were stacked up collapsed due to the vibration, raining down upon the place and made it messier than before. The occupants of the room were calm despite the entire thing, looking as though nothing happened at all.

"What's that sound?" the old man asked curiously as he went to grab the cup of tea on his desk and drank it. He blenched as he realised that it was cold now. Various sounds came from downstairs. It sounded like shouting, lots of shouting in fact, followed by another explosion and more things crashing to the ground.

"Ah yes, I forgot to mention. The Wizard Marshal has showed up without announcing himself like usual." Lilly informed him regally.

The Director spit his tea out comically upon hearing the news.

But the direction he's facing means the tea would ended up splashing on Lilly. Thankfully, she had already predicted his response when she gave him the news and had already set up a barrier around her to prevent herself from getting wet.

"The old troll is back!?" The Director exclaimed in panic as he stood up fast enough to generate wind from his movement, the papers on his desk were blown away when he got up before slowly floating down gently like leaves. "By the Root, I thought he only appeared once every few centuries. Why didn't you tell me Lilly?" Usually every time the old vampire appears it just spells chaos. Lots and lots of randomly generated chaos that usually involved people being thrown into parallel worlds just for his amusement. From one of the old texts in the archives he had read. The old troll had apparently sent the Founder himself into the future by accident before sending him back.

"It slipped my mind." Lilly informed him offhandedly with a small wave of her hand.

"It slippe- oh for fuc- Nevermind." The old man facepalmed himself before regarding his assistant seriously. "We need to go. Right now."

"Sir, where are we going?" Lilly asked curiously with a tilt of her head.

"Damage control. Last time he was here he sent everyone to a parallel world filled with tentacle monsters that melts clothes off and likes to grope women. I dread to imagine what he had in mind this time." The old man said with a deadpan before running out of his office faster than a person's eyes could follow, grabbing Lilly by her cloak and pulling her out as he did so.

"Ahhhhhh." Lilly let out in a monotonous tone as she was dragged out, clearly unsurprised at being dragged with the speed of a speeding bullet.

The two left and the door to the office was slammed shut with enough force to crack the walls as they head downstairs to deal with the problem at hand. As the Director left, he moved in such a hurry that he didn't noticed that he had bumped into one of the Diaries hanging by the edge of his desk.

The book fell down and opened by itself. The book itself was slightly different than the rest. It's cover was basically stained red by some liquid that had long since dried. It showed a page that was smudged and worn, traces of dried blood and fingerprints scattered in the fading words.

There was only a snort passage present on the page as well as traces of water droplets.

 _It had been staring at me right in the face but I never noticed it. Why did it take me so long to realised just what it is that they were after!?_

 _I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Jeanne...Elena...[word faded too much to read]_

 _I've failed. I've failed. There's no time left. [A large splotch of dried blood stained the rest of the page]_

 **-0-**

 **AN: Hey guys, long time no see. Sorry that it's not a real chapter. I wrote this was because I was bored and wanted to tell you guys that this story isn't dead or abandoned. Also, I didn't have a place to fit in the actual story because of the alien part.**

 **Be honest though, 1 out of 10 how funny was it. I got the idea from watching one of Tomska's video.**

 **Also, the holy grail war will occur centuries later; still not sure whether it'll be during the fifth or apocrypha, maybe even FGO but I have no idea what the plot is about in FGO since I can't read japanese.**

 **Btw, you can check my profile to see which story I'm working on at the moment or their progess.**

 **Thanks for reading and please leave a review, it usually keeps me motivation enough to keep writing.**


	8. Aftermath (I)

**AN: It was nearing 30k words so I was like 'whatever' and split it into two. Part two would be about the Village's side. Then I added the omake and it's still nearing 30k words. Holy crap, I really need to deal with my lack of planning.**

 **Hope you enjoy and please note that I was too lazy to double check my work. Expect glaring errors in my grammar, spelling or tenses.**

 **-0-**

 **Chapter 6: Aftermath (I)**

 **-0-**

Everywhere I look, I see the same inky blackness. I continue to walk aimlessly as I don't know where I'm going nor do I know why I was doing so. I've been doing it since I've found myself here. I keep getting the feeling that I just shouldn't stop.

There was nothing here. No skies to look at, no ground beneath me and no life to interact with. It was like everything just vanished without a trace. I could feel the solid ground beneath me even though I couldn't see it, almost like I'm standing on a transparent glass. I could barely see my own hands when I look at them. But I noticed something, almost like black smoke dancing around my hands, trying to cover them from view when I look down. Was this place so dark because the sun was missing or was it this way because everything covered in thick black mist? Every time I stopped moving even for a little bit, the black mist tried to envelop me and I started to feel faint. And thus I kept on moving, too afraid to see what would happen if I were to stop.

There was also silence. The sweet, comforting silence. One that I learn to enjoy as long as I could because I know that it won't last, it never did. Right now it's like being in a void where nothing exist. Nothing except me.

….Just...where am I? I've stopped wondering that for a long time now.

"Alex! Run!" A voice suddenly echoed from the distance before a sickening squelch followed suit.

I tried not to look at the source but my eyes were drawn there against my will. I saw a woman, barely visible in the darkness. Her body posture indicates that she was crouching over something but I saw nothing underneath her. Then I saw the woman fell to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut, landing with a soft thud as her body hits the invisible floor. Mum's eyes started to dim as a lone tear slide down her cheek. Her life has ended and I knew it. Nothing could change that even if I so badly wanted to.

She was trying to save me and my sister from danger. She did her best to buy me time to escape but I just stood around like an idiot, too stunned to even move.

I should have just ran.

No, I could have stopped her. We could try and ambush the bandit instead but my mind was in too much of a jumble to think of that first.

 _Shock. Sorrow._

Why did I even stayed behind?

Why did I waste my mother's sacrifice like this?

With a blink, the body was gone. Vanished, just like everything else in this world did and I kept on walking, expecting the next sequence to show up soon.

Barely a few steps forward I saw a bald man draped in a cloak. He was on the ground as he scamper around like a fool in order to get up. He got into a crouch and level his eyes at mine. His visage was twisted in anger, snarling like a mad hound as he glare at me.

"I'll fucking kill you in the most horrible way possible!" He shouted at me in rage.

 _Annoyance. Irritation. Worry._

Just his voice alone was enough to grate my gears. If I could rate it then it would be the equivalent of nails dragging along a chalkboard. He is not even a threat the way he is right now. I had the chance to kill him off but….

The mist moved in to cover man, hiding him from view as I look away and kept walking.

Suddenly, there was movement in my arms and I looked down.

I was greeted with a turf of brown hair and a pair of brown eyes that were moisten with tears. Catherine was moving restlessly in my arms, her lips slightly parted with faint sobbing emitting from her. She was staring at me with confusion etched onto her face. She couldn't understand what was going on around her. She's afraid, so terribly afraid as she tremble in my arms.

It was because of me that she had to go through something like this. If I had just ran out straight away then at least I could prevent Catherine from going through such an ordeal.

 _Regret. Guilt._

The infant in my arms suddenly burst away in a flock of colourful butterflies. I ignored them as they spread out and flew into the distance while I continue to stare at where Catherine used to be. I saw that my hands were coated with dark red ichor, still wet and dripping as the droplets of blood landed on the ground with a soft plop. The sound echoed like they would in a cave, stretching out as far as possible before it faded away.

I could hear the sound of fire. The flames roared intensely, crackling every so often while I imagine them to be dancing in the air. The heat emitting from them could easily be felt as it caress my skin, causing it to go tingly but yet I couldn't see it.

Knowing from experience, I just look back behind me to see the next sequence.

There was a person standing there with a slight limp on his leg, draped in his blood stained cloak with a look that made me think that I should be thankful that looks couldn't kill. His entire features was set into a snarl, saliva flew through his gritted teeth as he hiss like a snake once he saw me. Veins were popping up from his neck and forehead as his anger grew tremendously at the mere sight of me.

I felt a weight in my hand and I slowly lift it up. My fingers were wrapped tightly around the hilt of a blood stained fruit knife.

I return my attention back at the man and I saw him holding on to something as he slowly walk towards me. I was able to distinguish the object in his hand. It was a sword…. One that was coated in blood. My mother's blood.

Again, I was reminded of what he did to my mother. Again, the feeling from within me swell up rapidly without any signs of stopping. It was like a dam had been broken and the tide was rushing out freely without anything to hold it back. He need to die.

 _Hate._ _Anger. Resentment. RAGE._ _ **FURY. WRATH.**_ _ **KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM**_ _ **.**_ _ **[͏C̩̦̬̹̩o͝r̘͕̫̠͚ͅr͘ư̦̱̳̻̮̹ṕ̻t̳͉͓e̲̜̖d̖̱͎̬̹̩ ̗͓͜D̶̦̳̱̜̞̦a̷t̠͖͇̟̰́a̞̺̫̙͎]̲̜̰̝̭̙̝**_ _ **.**_ _Calm._ _Determination._

He's dead now, laying underneath me like a broken doll, limbs spread out unnaturally. His head was gone, replaced with a mush of mingled skin, meat and bone. Nothing resembling a human face was left there as blood continue to ooze out of the pulp of a head, staining the transparent ground with a puddle of red liquid.

I slowly lift up my hands. It was stained red, still dripping with his warm, wet blood. I watched the droplets join the puddle on the ground with soft, echoing plops.

 _Emptiness. Confusion._

I...I felt nothing when I killed him.

This isn't right. I know I should feel at least something but I couldn't. My emotions were numbed, my mind was emptied of thoughts and my body could feel the raising heat of the invisible fire that's closing in on me.

I could hear the sound of a child crying again but this time it sounded like it came from a distance.

I continue to stand there, wondering. Where's the guilt? Where's the shock? I know for certain that something as big as taking a life shouldn't be so easily shrugged off yet…

Then everything vanished before my eyes as the miasma started crawling up my legs again.

The corpse on the ground gone, the fires around me snuffed out and the sound of the baby crying silenced, leaving me all alone in the darkness once more. I stare into the distance as the sound of silence returned and I greeted it like an old friend. A small tired smile graced my lips but it was gone within seconds and I started walking again, trying to shake off the smoke clinging on me like it's actually water.

The silence was so sweet and intoxicating.

Absolutely nothing happened during this period and damned if I don't milk it for all it's worth. I don't know how much time had passed since I found myself here but in the end it didn't even mattered to me.

I realised that this place isn't real long ago

I know that I'm suppose to find a way out, to escape from this otherworldly place and back to where I'm suppose to be. Back in the real world...where everything had gone to shit. But I couldn't bring myself to care. I just wanted to stay here, to be left alone in the dark. Maybe I'm just not ready to face the world yet, maybe the death of my mother was too much for me to bare...maybe taking a life affected me more than I thought.

I just wanted to be left in peace but why do I keep seeing the events of that night?

Why won't it leave me alone!?

I slowly tilt my head up into the empty sky and let my eyes close as I took in a deep breath. I allow myself to enjoy the silence once more. because I know that it won't last, it never did.

It wasn't long before it started happening again but this time I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to see the images again. I heard mother's scream before she was killed, the bandit's cry of rage, Catherine's sobs, the sound of blood dripping and crackling of fire along with the heat caressing my skin.

I can tell what's happening around me even when I wasn't looking. This has happened so many times that I could simply recognize them by the sounds.

I press my hands against my ears in order to block the sounds out but my efforts was in vain. Within this void, the noises were a multitude louder than it would have been and my sensitive hearing was working against me this time around and I cursed it. Everything was heard so clearly that it seem to penetrate straight into my very bones, rattling them.

Then my traitorous mind started supplying me with what my eyes couldn't. Vivid images flashes through my mind in sync with the sounds and I gritted my teeth. I shook my head to get rid of the images but it didn't work. Resigned from the lack of progress I just waited for it to end. It wasn't long before everything was over and the silence returned.

I kept my hands over my ear and my eyes squeeze shut, not willing to see nor hear the events of that night that kept on replaying but I know that I didn't have a choice. I kept my head down, silently praying to whatever entity that could hear me to make it stop.

But my prayer went unanswered.

It wasn't long before the sweet, comforting silence was ripped away from me again.

"Alex! Run!" I heard my mother screamed again for the umpteen time and I knew that everything was starting all over again.

Shut up….

The scenes kept repeating themselves again, and again, and again. My emotions were continuously shifting along to match the scene that was being played out even though I wasn't watching. I could feel it all, the thump on the ground when my mother fell, the bandit standing in front of me as he yell in anger, the weight of Catherine in my arms, the rough wooden handle of the knife on my hand then the heat of the fire.

I don't want to keep experiencing this never ending loop forever...I'm tired...I just want it to be over….

"I'll fucking kill you in the most horrible way possible!" The bandit's words echoed in my ears again.

Shut up….

I heard Catherine cry once more.

Shut up…. Shut up! Shut Up! SHUT UP! SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP! _**Shut The Fuck Up!**_

"Alex?" Someone called out. Her voice came out croaked and hoarse, almost as if she had been crying.

That voice...it's not my mother's… it sounded familiar but...whose is it? I… I can't remember… my mind failed to recall the owner of the voice. After being subjected to a perpetual hell where my failure kept being repeated in front of me, my mind had stopped working normally.

It was like it's being smothered with layers upon layers of suffocating fog or engulfed in total darkness. The metaphorical gears that used to churn when I think were rusted and damaged. Just trying to remember whose voice it was proves to be a tedious task. I could almost draw up an image of who it was but at the last moment the fog covers it up again, forcing me to start over from scratch.

I snap open my eyes and let my hands fall from my ears. I slowly look up into the sky with a look of surprise and confusion mixed together. After hearing the same voices repeating themselves for so long, the sound of a new voice calling my name is a refreshing change of pace. My lips were trembling as I found myself yearning to hear it again.

I was afraid, so very afraid that it would never happen again and I would still be here, watching everything from that night repeating itself like a broken record, damned to go insane from it all.

It's a wonder that I haven't gone insane at all. Maybe I already have and haven't noticed yet. Maybe I'm just denying the truth as I cling to what remains of my sanity.

I shook my head as I force the rusted gears to turn. I could almost hear the metal cogs squeak in an annoying high pitch sound as they started to move again. My mind was slowly starting up, the fog that once clouded my thoughts was being dispersed as the gears spun more quickly than before. Thinking had become easier, thoughts had come more clearer than it used to.

That voice, it- it was...Elena's?

"Please wake up." I heard her again, sobbing this time.

Wake up? What did she mean by that?

"Ah-lek?" Another voice called my name this time. It- It's Jeanne's..I think… Her voice was shaky and barely audible, almost like she was whispering.

But one thing was clear, even though I can't see her, the sound of her voice made told me that she is crying.

I...just what am I suppose to be doing here?

 **-0-**

The damage the village suffered was severe. Many buildings were burned down because of the fire, taking everything inside with them and turning them into smothering ash and cinder. But thankfully a great deal of the buildings survived thanks to the untimely rain that came pouring down like a hail of arrows.

Some of the surviving structures only have black scorched marks plastered on the walls while others remained completely untouched. Most of the villages believed the rain to be a miracle but only one knew the truth as to why it suddenly rained.

The ground that the people were treading on during the battle at the gates became wet and soggy, turning it into a mushy pile of mud and sinking the foot those who trample on it. The fires were put out within a few minutes, rendering their scare tactic to lower the villagers morale ineffective. Everyone vision were hampered and blurred because of the water splashing onto their faces and cloaking the entire area under heavy rain. It cause problems to arise for both sides as it became difficult to differentiate between friend and foe.

The downpour was making conditions unfavorable for long draw out battles and everyone knew that. The villager militia were given hope that they could survive if they held on long enough and the bandits knew that their assault had failed. They were smart enough to hightail from their assault the moment the rain started pouring too heavily, choosing to pick up the pieces rather than losing them all and retreated back into the forest to recover.

The militia celebrated their victory in the rain. They cheer out in triumph, hugging or patting each other on their backs while some danced as they watch the bandits scamper away like rats. But their victory was short lived when they were reminded that most of the structures were already burned down and many had died to defend their home.

Just one look at the nearly demolished gate with corpses of friends, family and bandits piling up was enough to bring the heavy mood back. It was a marvel as to how they even managed to hold their own against the larger number of bandits. But as tired as they were that night, none of them had suspected or even noticed the supernatural at play to ensure that they survived the ordeal.

No one had seen the child sized golems that had dealt with bandits outside of the village to minimized their numbers and to keep most of them from entering.

They did so with robotic precision, striking without any mercy and using the shadows to hide themselves from view. To the bandits it would almost seem like small demonic beings jumping on their comrades and crushing their skulls with the thirst for their blood shining in their glowing red eyes.

Nor had anyone noticed the faint trails of light being shot from the village and striking any bandits that were about to cause grievous harm to the defenders, making them ill and unfocused, distracting them just enough before they were cut down by the ones they were attacking.

The bandits had retreated back into the forest where their camp was at to lick their wounds and wait for the rain to stops. The assault had cost them plenty of able bodied men. They were completely confused at how their attack turned out as they round up their numbers at their camp to count the amount of casualties that they had suffered.

Their leader was a large, heavily scarred man. If his body were a little hairier, he could be mistaken an ape if looked from afar. he could only fumed internally as he thought about what had happened.

None of it made sense to him. Everything was planned properly and executed flawlessly. Sure they didn't expect such a fierce resistance from the militia even though the place look almost desolated from afar but his men should be enough to overwhelm them and break though the gates yet it didn't happen.

Why?

Just what had went wrong for everything to slide downhill like that. He walked around the camp with his clothes still soaking wet and the rain showing no signs of stopping, watching his men pitifully getting themselves together and gathered around the camp.

Those who were too wounded were left behind and ignored as they plead for help, limping, crawling or just laying on the ground as they bleed from their wounds and die slowly. There is no one around here that have decent medical skills to patch them up. The ones who could at least do some basic bandaging already died during the assault. Those would could still be saved however, it would depend on how useful they are.

The bandit leader suppressed the rising anger that he was feeling at how pathetic his men look and walked away, scoffing to himself as the rain around him continue to come down loudly like a waterfall, muting the panic shouting of his men as they gather the wounded to the poorly pitched tents around their camp.

He found a familiar tree stump to sit on near his own tent that's a distance away from the main camp. It was placed there because he like his privacy. He promptly sat on it, pulling out a small dagger on his belt pouch before resting his elbows on his knees. He ignored the rain splashing onto his face as he started toying with his dagger in his hands, spinning it around his fingers before he started thinking back from the beginning, trying to find out where it had gone from a simple raid to such a mess.

It was strange as to why he was ordered to attack that village. He thought that surely there wasn't anything of value in that run down place but who was he to question orders from _him_. If he wants that village attacked then it will be as long as he and his men get paid. The amount of gold he was given was enough to keep him fed and drowned in wine for three lifetimes if he managed to complete his task.

But of course, that is if he haven't split it with the rest of his men. But he thought that surely, some of them might meet unfortunate accidents during the raids so he didn't have to split so much of it and horde most of it for himself.

He had sent a scout to see if there are any defenses worth noticing even though the place looks like it's been neglected for decades and everyone is just struggling to get by. It always pays to be careful after all, he didn't survive this long by being reckless. There's always an off chance that something might go wrong and he needed insurance that the attack would go off without a hitch. So when his scout returned, he wasn't expecting anything of interest about the place. His intuition proved correct when the scout told him that the condition inside the village is as bad as it seems from the outside. There were no defenses to note and everything was ripe for the taking.

The leader thinks that there shouldn't be too much to plan for and told his men to just charge right in at all directions, tossing torches onto their homes to evoke panic among the villagers.

When he and his men got close to the village, he was surprised to find that everything was not as it seems. He had expected minimal resistance and the villagers to be weak or ill because of the condition of the place but it turns out that it wasn't the case. The numbers of people defending the place was way more than he had expected and they all seem rather fit and rather healthy to him. The man briefly wondered if the scout have lied to him or was too lax to notice.

With this new revelation he had to adjust his tactic accordingly to minimize the losses he would no doubt suffer when fighting though the defenses.

It should have been easy to break though them. Rush straight into the militia and overwhelm them with their numbers. But sadly, the ground was unstable, giving them an uneven footing and slowing down their charge. So when they collided with the militia they weren't at charging at their full momentum. Even so, their numbers should be enough to break though with ease and they even set their houses on fire to make them panic. Yet the militia's morale remained unfazed and they met them head on with grim determination. Surprisingly, the weapons they were using were unexpectedly in excellent condition. They tore though the leather armors that his men were using like a hot knife slicing though butter.

Sure their equipments are shit because they were looted and weren't properly maintained but some of the guys had metal plates on them, looted from dead soldiers, and they were still cut down swiftly.

With the frontal attack going badly he hoped his men that entered though the fences had better luck but almost none of them returned. Those who did reported of strange small creatures running amok the place, killing the rest with relative ease and chasing down those it saw. Only a few survived the encounter because the creature chose to chase others and leaving them alone long enough for them to make their escape. Demons they called them.

But in all honesty, he thinks that those guys were actually on those fucking mushrooms again. In the end all he knew is that his men couldn't break through the gate and many of those who had entered through the fences were missing, presumably dead because of the militia that's defending the insides, picking them off one by one.

Without anyone reporting the progress of what's happening inside, he ordered the rest to stay together instead of trying to find another entrance and focus on breaking though the heavily guarded gate. But even when everyone was focusing on breaking through there wasn't any progress on his end at all.

The militia still held strong against the onslaught of cannon fodder. Which it prove to be great that the leader didn't need to split the loot with so many people anymore but it's worrying that the defenders show no signs of tiring while his own men made plenty of blunders during the fight for no apparent reason.

Then there was the downpour that came out of nowhere. It appeared without warning and with a ridiculous timing too. It came just when the blazing flames that's threatening to engulf the village in an inferno. The torrent of water came down like a ton of bricks, easily snuffing out the flames and soaking the place and everyone down to the bone.

The terrain also became unfavorable for constant treading because of the rain. The dirt road transformed into a mud road as everyone's foot sunk deeper into it each time they took another step, sapping away their stamina as they exert more force than necessary to move around.

To add another problem to the list, it seems that reinforcements had arrived to relief the militia, bolstering the number of defenders at the gate. With their position properly reinforced, the bandit leader knew that the fight was lost and ordered a retreat.

Now they were scattered all around the camp, trying to get everyone together to count how many that had died during the assault and fixing the wounds of those that could still be useful while those that would be crippled or are beyond saving are dealt with to remove any waste in their resources. He would need to recruit more men because of this failed assault. It should be easy since during wartime, people willing to commit unsavory acts just so they could survive is more than plentiful. Those who had lived comfortably would be surprised to find that desperate people can do very unimaginable things just to get by.

"Boss Alian!" someone called out to him, earning the Alian's ire as he was busy contemplating things and he dislike being interrupted. He snap his head towards the person responsible for irritating him and snarled at him.

"What!?" he growled out through his teeth, his voice was loud and booming, penetrating the sound of the pouring rain.

The scruffy looking man that came towards him visibly flinched back in fright. He and the rest of his buddies had expected Alian to be in a foul mood after the failed assault. When the final count of the remaining men came they actually fought each other to pass the role of the messenger to some unlucky sod that lost so that they wouldn't have to deliver the news to the him themselves. They knew that when the Boss was angry, people near him gets hurt or worst, mauled by the dagger that he tends to favor so much. No sane man would be willing to face his wrath and hope to come out unharmed. Sadly, He had been the unlucky one and lost to a cheep sucker punch. Now he's quaking in his boots as his stab-happy Boss leveled his eyes at him, showing signs of wanting to sink his dagger into something fleshy to diminish the annoyance and irritation that he's feeling.

"Everyone who's still alive has returned sir. Only forty seven of us left." he reported hastily.

The leader's eyes widen in surprise when he heard that and he shot up from the stump immediately, nearly loosing the grip on his dagger as he did so.

That was over two third of his men gone!

How in God's blaze did he lost that many to just one small village!? The surprise he was feeling was gone and what replaced it was a pure outrage at his men's incompetence. They were unable to even break through the messily organized militia that's defending the gates. He grip the hilt of his dagger tightly till his knuckles turned white before he abruptly spun around and slam his fist into the nearest tree in a fit of anger, snarling incomprehensible curses as the tree shook slightly from his attack. It's leaves rustled and drop from the branches, swaying in the air as if they were dancing with each other. They gracefully descend towards the ground in their last dance before joining their fallen brethren that's already there to turn into nutrients for the soil.

The man that delivered the news tires to make a run for it quietly. But alas, as fate would have it, he was noticed by his Boss when he took a few steps before stepping on a twig and snapping it rather loudly. He bit back a silent curse before slowly turning his head around. He did not like what he saw. Alian had turn his attention towards him, watching him with those black eyes of his. He could feel the shivers traveling down his spine as a sense of foreboding warned him of the immediate danger.

Before he could even run away, his boss had already barked an order. "You! Get over here!" his voice was filled with malice and anger. The man just knew that this would be his last moments but running away was also not an option, it would only lengthen the pain he would no doubt suffer. And so, he turn around and started walking towards the larger man with a look of a man walking towards his executioner. Each step closer to the heavily scared man simmering in his own anger and growling like a hungry hound only serve to strengthen the crushing feeling of dread and anxiety the nameless bandit was feeling.

The leader turn away from the tree, committing his full attention towards the person who had delivered him the news. The poor man visibly shrunk when his leader's bloodshot eyes landed on him. His anger was so apparent that veins were popping out all over his forehead. The bandit leader stalks towards his subordinate as he spoke. "Was there at least anything good that came out of that fucking mess we called a raid!?" he demanded heatedly as he walk up to the man, stopping right in front of him and looking down at his fearful expression. It became apparent that the leader was a full head taller than the one he's speaking to, towering over him like a looming shadow and speaking so harshly that his saliva spat out and landed on the quivering man's face.

"Y-y-y-yes!" the man quickly sputtered out with a squeak. "We managed to snag a few goods from the village, a few people too before- before those things appeared and started killing everyone." he informed the larger man hastily, his voice cracking ever so often.

The larger man just raise an eyebrow, his anger temporarily forgotten. If he remembered it correctly the grunt in front of him is one of those that was sent into the village to plunder it. Not only had he survived, he came out of the village looking sickly pale and terrified like he had just witness his grandparents having sex in the middle of the streets in board daylight before spontaneously exploding into meaty chunks as they reach climax and then being caked by his grandfather's sperm as his body parts and bodily liquids scattered all over the streets.

"Bah, I don't care about your excuses. If you're trying to get out of trouble with it at least make it more believable than tiny monkeys running around and murdering the boys when you're all just that damn incapable of even getting some simple shit done right." The bandit leader spat on to the ground near the grunt's feet. "At least we got something out of that palce." he grumbled irritatedly before turning away and walked back to his stump.

As his boss' attention wasn't on him anymore, the grunt slump to the ground with a sigh of relief escaping his lips. Then he remembered an important thing that he and the rest of the boys talked about when they were busy gathering everyone together and it made him scramble back up post haste.

"B-but Boss Alian!" the man stammered as he crawl up with his hands and rapidly make his way to his boss' side. "I'm telling you what I saw was real! Heck, even Jonson and Eric saw it! They're as small as monkeys and they move on all fours like a beast! Our weapons just break against it's skin when we tried to attack it and it was strong enough to crush people's skulls in!" the man explained, fear lacing his words as he tries to convince his boss of what he had seen.

He too had expected an easy target during today's raid, getting in and take anything of value and getting out. But those _things_ that seem to have crawled out of the deepest depths of hell is by all rights not suppose to exist besides from children bedtime stories. So when they started popping out from nowhere when he's inside the village, terrified is not a strong enough word to describe the feeling he was experiencing then.

Those monsters were frighteningly fast and surprisingly strong for their size. But they were mostly hiding in the shadows so he was unable to properly look at them. They only way he could tell that they're there is because of the glowing eyes they had. He had watched his comrades attempting to inflict grievous harm upon it only for their body to collapse inwards as they were fling around like ragdolls from being hit by the creature's thick looking arms.

"The boys are all talking about it boss!" the grunt exclaimed in a voice that borderlines hysteria. "They say the place is home to a witch! Why else are we be unable to get in!? Her demons prowl the streets inside, slaughtering anyone who got in while the villagers were being controlled by a witch herself! You saw how they weren't even flinching when we charged at them. Hell, they don't even seem to be surprised that we've set their homes on fire! They don't look like experienced soldiers at all and yet they could fight us even when we have the advantage in numbers. We shouldn't have attacked it in the first place. We're going to be cursed by the witch for attacking her home!" the grunt cried out in panic, waving his arms wildly as if his gesturing would get his point across.

But a sudden flash of pain on his face shut him up tight as he collapse backwards onto the ground. The back of his head made contact with the soft, squishy dirt with a dull squish as he let out a yelp in pain.

The grunt blink away the rain water that got into his eyes as he slowly got up to to find Alian letting down his outstretched fist, looking rather peeved at him. Amidst the flaring pain and the cool splattering of the rain against his face he could feel something hot and sticky trailing down his nose. He didn't need to be a genius to figure out that his nose was broken as he push himself up to sit on the ground. Suddenly, he felt a sense of trepidation and realised that he should have just kept his mouth shut about the matter and ran away the moment his boss' attention wasn't on him.

"There are no such things as demons and witches you numbskull." The scarred man snapped as he trudge towards the fallen grunt. He raise his mud stained boot and sent it slamming down hard on the grunt's chest, knocking the air out of his lungs as he was sent back onto the ground with a dull thump. "Your so called demons and witches are bullshits bedtime stories that parents came up to keep their kids from misbehaving." The bandit leader shifted his boots away from the grunt's chest and replace it with his knee as he crouch down besides him, using his knee to keep the grunt pinned onto the ground. "And you, my friend, have been very disappointing as of late."

The fallen man could only stare as frozen with his eyes wide in surprise and fear at his boss' tone while his cold, bloodshot eyes bore into his with unrestrained bloodlust. "And you know what happens to people who disappoint me don't you?" the scarred man's lips part into a twisted grin.

"N-no! P-please! Don't kill me! I'll do anything!" the grunt cries out in horror as his hands grab on to the larger man's knee, trying his absolute best to remove it from his chest. His legs flail around wildly hoping to kick the man on top of him away but alas, it couldn't reach him and the grin on the scarred man's widen as he witness the futile resistance the grunt is offering.

And so with the screaming and wailing man underneath him, the scarred man raise his oh so favorite dagger up into the air, letting the struggling man see his instrument of demise, instilling the feeling of helplessness inside him as tears leak out of the side of his eyes that went unnoticed because of the heavy downpour.

The nameless grunt was never seen again.

 **-0-**

As the rest of the bandits gathered together at the main camp, patching up the wounded and fighting each other just to share the limited shelter from the rain under the trees or tents, a sudden mad laughter stopped everyone dead in their tracks. Everyone's head quickly turn towards the direction where the laughter came from. Those who had been in the group long enough continue on with what they're doing after confirming where it came from while those who were new and recently recruited for the raid were tensed and confused as to where the sick laughing came from.

Some of the older ones pointed out to the greenhorns that they should ignore it. Some even informed them that it was just their boss making that animalistic laughter. The new guys were undoubtedly skeptical about it but accepted it nonetheless and continue on with what they were doing thinking that their boss' laughter was just that bizarre. But the older ones knew why their boss was laughing like that and could only anxiously wait for it to stop and hope that the person that their boss just brutalized was enough to pacify him. A few of the older ones even offered a small prayer for the comrade that they had knowingly sent to his death.

Soon the laughter died down and a large figure walked towards the camp from where the laughing originated from. The rest of the bandits saw that it was Alian when he walked out of the darkness. He looked exactly the same as they last saw him when they returned from the village but they noticed a subtle difference. His hands were caked in dark red liquid that's slowly being wash off by the rain, even his clothes were stained with them. Once he got close enough to for the men to see his face, his visage showed the expression of satisfaction but traces of annoyance were still visible.

The new guys soon learned why he was laughing so much because in the scarred man's hand was the head of another person hanging by it's hair. Some emptied their stomach immediately when they saw the dangling appendage, others took a step back from the man looking sickly pale. The new guys immediately regretted ever joining this group while the older ones could shook their head sadly.

As Alian walk towards the center of the camp, many hastily made way for him, not willing to risk bumping into the terrifying individual that's spinning the head around in circles by it's hair like it's some sort of toy. The men hastily create more distance between him and them in disgust. Some were unlucky as the blood from the neck stump splattered on them.

He stopped in the middle of the poorly set up camp. It was soon clear that he was the largest among them all, easily towering a good two meters in height compared to the shortest among them and they can tell that he's very crossed as his entire being was giving off an aura of annoyance. Alian dropping the head like a sack of junk to the ground with a thud before getting everyone's attention. "Alright you shitheads! Listen up!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, causing those who haven't noticed him yet as they were busy setting up more tents or bandaging the wounds of the other to look at his direction.

"I am sorely upset and completely baffled that you pathetic lots can't even break through a group poorly armed villagers even though we have all the advantages to use. But! that's not even the worst part." he told them in a cold deadpan tone, his eyes scanning the crowd with a strange glint in his eyes. Some flinch back when his eyes landed on them while quiet a brave few just look annoyed at his bashing.

"The worst part is that the few of you who managed to get out of the damn place alive," he stretch out his arms as if trying to indicate the mentioned few within the crowd of easily forgettable faces. "actually have the galls to lie about how bad you are at your job after you have failed so spectacularly." he yelled out angrily, sending a glare into the crowd. Those that were mentioned before blenched uncomfortably even though they knew he couldn't possible spot them within a crowd of so many people. They were having trouble believing what they had seen in the village but were too afraid to speak about it after many dismissed their claims thinking that they were going nuts or are under the effect of some drugs that they took.

"Demons!? Witches!? Seriously!? Need I remind you that you're all scoundrels that are supposed to strike fear into the heart of the people!?" he growled out menacingly. "Instead of successfully getting in and plunder the village of all their valuable or maybe even attack the militia from behind, I was informed that you were beaten back by small monkey like creatures! And you call them demons! Instead of just owning up like a real man you made excuses for your failures. I have half the mind to kill those who even have the imagination to make up something like that myself but we're low on man power as it is. I won't kill you for your failure this time but remember, _THERE!_ _IS!_ _NO!_ _NEXT_ _TIME!_ Do I make myself clear!?" he roared with the might of a lion, his thunderous voice echoed throughout the forest even with the downpour drowning most of the sound with it's harmonious melody of nature.

His words caused a stir among the crowd, unease and irritation spread though the ranks. While the few that had witness said demonic beings could only grit their teeth as they listen, those who had not just felt annoyed at the how their leader were insulting them like they were idiots.

Most of the men that had been with the group for years were feeling livid. They had gone through a lot tonight, losing close friends to the villagers, suffering huge losses and stuck in the rain because of the limited shelter feeling miserable and tired and now they have and how they had to listen to their leader ranting about how useless they were. But none were brave or foolish enough to stand up to the large man to usurp his leadership.

They had tried before. It was after one of the time Alian had gone too far and pissed off most of them. Ten men ganged up on him with a surprise attack, armed with weapons. They had hoped to overwhelm him with their numbers and throw him off guard with the suddenness of the attack. He was obviously larger than them all but they were confident in their plan of attack. Clearly, they had failed as position of the boss still belonged to the large scarred man that's standing right in front of them.

All five were beaten with relative ease as the scarred man uses his large body size and inhuman strength to manhandle the attackers as he use their body as makeshift clubs to smack each other with all while laughing wildly like a maniac. The brave men barely even land a scratch on him as he easily dispatch his attackers.

Shortly after the attack, the boss tied up his attackers and round up the rest of the gang. Everyone was forced to watch as he slowly torture the five in sick sadistic ways with his favorite dagger. He uses a different method for each one, one was flayed alive before being hung upside down to drain him of his blood. Another was slowly cut in many ways but still remained alive despite the number of cuts all littered around his body. The next guy have so much stuff shove down his throat that he simply died from the lack of air. One was used as target practice as Alian tied him to a tree and throw his dagger at him, purposely missing any vital parts. The torture session lasted for hours before the last one finally died and everyone was reminded by the blood soaked man not to try what those he had killed did.

It was made clear that day as to who the boss was and he remained unchallenged ever since. Not that the new guys knew that of course.

"Bah!" Alian spat out in irritation at the silence he was greeted with. "I'll deal with you lots later. Tell me where the loot is being placed. I expect something good from all the trouble we've been though tonight and I'm not going to let some defeat from some village militia to keep me from appreciating the prize that we got from that place."

Hearing his words some of the men quickly pointed at the far end of the camp where a proper tent was set up. There had two people sitting around the entrance as they let themselves be soaked by the rain, watching the proceeding with slight anxiousness in their eyes. The rest was content to remain as they were, hoping that the scarred man would find something else to do instead of berating them in the cold, uncomfortable rain.

To the relief of those who were complaining about the treatment they were getting, the large man strode off without another word, the aura of annoyance still radiates from him like a foul stench, making everyone step away from him like he's the plague incarnated. The men made a path for him to walk through as they watch him leave the premises. They waited until he's gone far enough before returning to what they were doing, relief that he was no longer in the vicinity.

The scarred man continue on his path, the two that were sitting around the tent quickly sprung up and held the tent flap open for him to enter. He didn't even spare the men a glance as he walk into the tent, keeping his head down because of his height.

He finally got out from the rain when he entered the dark interior of the tent, the sound of the downpour was no longer as loud as before as the tent blocked out most of it. The only light source came from the opened tent flap as it illuminated what little area it could with the silhouette of the large man in the middle. Water drip off him like a wet dog that had just had fun swimming in the lake, staining the previously dry ground with water.

He squint his eyes as to get a better look in the darkness. His ears could pick up faint ruffling of cloth and sniffling coming from within the shadows aside from the continuous pattering of the rain. He waited a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before he could finally make out the shapes that's in front of him.

The contents of the tent was revealed to him within moments. A group of people were sitting on the ground at the far end of the tent, hands and legs bounded by thick looking ropes as they huddled together for warmth. They were the people village that they had attacked. The scarred man nodded to himself and a lustful grin appeared on his face as he counted the number of people present. A total of nine adults were caught, most of them were women while only two were males, rather young ones too and most likely haven't even reached adulthood yet.

He eyed the women's body greedily as their wet clothes stick onto their skin, hugging onto their figures and showing off their curves. The women visible shivers under his lecherous stare and tired to hide their body with their arms. The scarred man's grin just grew wider, it would seem that they have scored some fine specimens tonight.

Alian took a step forward while licking his lips and the people inside reacted to his movement frightfully, retreating further in even though there's no where left to go. The boys tried to be brave and put themselves in front of the females as they huddle to the corner of the tent but he could see the fear in their eyes. The emotion was anchored into their very being as well as the trembling of their body while they fought hard not to show it. "Get back!" one of them shouted, Alian could practically taste the fear in his voice and that lead him to wonder which idiot forgot to gag them when they tied them up.

No matter, he'll deal with that later.

The scarred man just laughed at their attempts to play hero. He strode in front of them slowly, savoring the look of terror and panic appearing on their faces the closer he gets. Oh how he enjoys toying with the weak. Still, if these were all that they got from the blasted place then it's not enough. He had lost so many men and what they got in return were nine people that he could sell as slaves. He would need to attack that place again, preferably when the villagers are still disorganized from the attack and is in frenzy. What should he do then, attack again when the rain stops? Or in the morning when the villagers are resting, thinking that they were gone now. No, he would need to retreat back to his base and gather more numbers first. It would seem that they won't be attacking any of the other villages in the list anytime soon.

Pity, one of them in the list seem to be the home of a noble too.

While the scarred man preferred to have money, jewelries or valuable goods liberated from those rich snobbish nobles to fulfill his greed for more wealth, it would seem that it wouldn't come true anytime soon. But enslaving people from poor villages and training them to be obedient would be a satisfying and entertaining alternative, especially when there are some fine looking women present.

The boys' attempt to shield the women from him was laughable at best as he easily grab one by the throat and the other by his hair before tossing them aside. Their pained yells were music to his ears as they collide with each other on the ground. Some of the women began sobbing but others remained strong, glaring at him with defiance in their eyes. The boys began to push themselves up and scowl at him openly. The man's grin was threatening to split his lips at the display.

He's going to enjoy breaking them, that's for sure.

Since he's here, he might as well sample the products himself before they cart them off to the cave. The journey would take a while and he didn't fancy waiting until he get back to try those delicious, smooth looking mounts those women have, maybe even see how tight they were while he's at it.

He choose to grab the closest one that was glaring at him with so much hatred in her eyes that even the other women nearby could feel it. She looked young, most likely seventeen or so. If looks could kill then he would have died ten times over already. The hateful look was instantly replaced with distress as her eyes widen in panic. She tried to pull away and even kick him but it didn't work. The others shouted and tried to hit him but their punches and kicks were so weak that they felt like mosquito bites to his skin.

He dragged the women away thinking that he's going to make the rest watch as he have his way with the woman. He pushed her onto the ground before straddling on her, the others began shouting at him but he didn't pay any attention to them. The boys that were thrown away actually move back towards him after he grabbed the woman. They wanted to save her from him but since their legs were tied up they had to hop like rabbits.

The man laughed at their pathetic display before simply swatting them away once they got close enough. The impact was strong enough to knock the boys unconscious as they were sent tumbling to the side into a messed heap of tangled limbs.

The man let out a snort in amusement before returning his attention towards the woman under him.

He could see her tears trailing down her cheeks as she fought hard not to cry. She still fought back however, her tied up hands tried to whack him with all her might but they were easily held down by one hand, her legs kicked with all her all but it's useless if they couldn't reach him. In face of such bravado despite her situation, one couldn't help but feel admiration for her courage or maybe even annoyance depending on the situation, but to him, her resistance only serve to arouse him more.

He was about to tore off her clothes but the constant shouting from the side irks him so. How was he suppose to enjoy some pussy when people keep damping his mood. He immediately snap his head around to glare at them, a beast like growl begin emitting form his throat. His bloodshot eyes seem to convey that he would have no trouble killing them and using their corpses for his own amusement later. It struck fear into their hearts and effectively shut them up.

But when he glared at the group of women he saw something, something small that's being hidden behind the them. They were using their bodies to conceal it with the best of their abilities. But he saw it for just a brief moment before it was hidden away again. That was enough to perk his curiosity.

Now just what on earth were they hiding from him?

He got up from the woman who seem to have shagged in relief the moment his face was no longer within inches of hers. His sudden change of interest seem to have spooked the rest, not really knowing what might have caused it. At the corner of his eyes he could see that the boys that he had tossed aside managed to get themselves up already and is doing their best to snarl at him.

He stopped in front of the group of women and look at the spot where he had last saw whatever it was. Of course, the women were blocking his way, looking at him with contempt and disdain on their face. It would seem the village is home to very strong willed people. It wouldn't do if he didn't grab a few more from that place. It's not everyday they come by people who would still fight back in the face of defeat. After all, they're the most fun to break.

"Now what are you lovely ladies hiding from me hmm?" he asked the one nearest to him in a sickeningly sweet tone, smiling as he squint his eyes at her. She didn't reply, only flinching at his tone as she all look away from him. She remained tight lipped, not wanting to acknowledge the person in front of her. It would normally be amusing for the scarred man to watch how they rebel against him but there's something he didn't like that struck him at a cord somewhere. He dislike being ignored and the bitch in front of him did just that.

Immediately, all form of civility from him was thrown out the window as his face twisted into a nasty scowl. "Do not ignore me you filthy bitch!" he swung his arm at her, the back of his hand struck her delicate looking cheek as she was sent falling to the ground with a yelp. The others shouted her name in worry, some even tried to hit him back for hurting their own but the scarred man ignored them. He ignored them because he saw what they were hiding.

When woman he had struck was sent down to the ground, what was hiding in the group was revealed to him.

It was a pleasant surprise for him because he had thought those nine villagers were all that his incompetent men could take from that damned village.

It wasn't nine, it was ten.

Hidden within the mist of female bodies was a small child that looked no longer than four years old. She huddled her own body to appear as small as possible as she pull her own knees to it hide her face. Her entire body was trembling like a leaf, soft sobs and sniffles were coming from her as she tries to smother them down with her knees.

"What's this? There's a child in here too?" he spoke out loud with a hint of amusement in his voice. Without wasting any time, the scarred man reach out to grab the child by the collar of her dirt stained gown, prompting her to let out a high pitch squeak in pain as her entire body was yank out of her hiding place. The women tried to protect the child from him but it proved to be fruitless as he easily yank her out of their grasp, dangling her in the air by her collar.

With the child no longer being behind the group of women the scarred man finally got a good look at her. The child has dirty orange hair that's framing her face and shaped like a blob. Her bangs were long enough to hide her eyes but he could see trails of tears going down her cheeks and snot running form her nose. Just one look at the man was enough to scare her to the point where she started bawling her lungs out as she tries to pry herself out of his grasp.

"Let her go you savage beast!" the oldest woman in the group cried out as she pushed herself up from the ground. Her eyes glaring at the larger man with grim determination shining in them. She wanted to move over to save the child from him but having her legs and hands tied her she couldn't really move very well. The scarred man snorted and responded by simply extending his hand to the side, pushing her as she got close and causing her to fall back onto the ground by her rear.

"Listen here you fucking whore!" he growled out as he started shaking the kid in his arm like a sack of meat. Those who were watching widen their eyes in horror, anger and hate filled their heart as they watch the man treating the poor child like an object. The child made a sharp yelp as each jerk she experience made her feel even more nauseatic and dizzy. "I own you all now. I can do whatever the fuck I want with what's mine, you hear me!?" He stopped jerking around the child in his hand and she took a large gasp of air before she started coughing pitifully. Even that sounded pained and weak. "Now you better behave yourselves, you wouldn't want anything to happen to this cute little critter now would you?"

The other kidnapped villagers could only grit their teeth as hot rage swirl around in their hearts. But they knew that they are currently powerless to do anything right now. Even if they did manged to escape from where they are, there's still a whole camp filled with bandits outside. But they also know that they is no possible way for them to take down the overly large man in front of them. They instincts were screaming at them, telling them that fighting him is plain suicide.

"Oh ho~! What's this?" the scarred man exclaim in surprise as he pull back his outstretch arm and shot it towards the girl in his hand. The child let out another cry of pain as her hair was being yanked up by the man who couldn't care less about the pain he's inflicting to her. The child's eyes were squeezed shut as tears continue to leak from them, staining her already wet face, her tiny lips were quivering, opening every once in a while to let out a soft sob. Again, shouts of outrage came from the captured villagers. The man could see how visibly vivid they were at his treatment to the child. He let out a smirk as he move his hand to the child's eye and forced them open.

"Green eyes! Well ain't that a rare colour!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "Oh I just know you'll earn me a big bag of coins when I sell you in the market. I heard that there are people out there who would want those with rare coloured eyes as their sex slaves. I heard that the colour made them look very exquisite and down right sexy as they bang their brains out." he told the child with a mad laugh.

 **-0-**

The child's body was tensed, she didn't understand what the man that was hurting her is talking about but she could sense how vile his words were as they came out of his mouth. Fear was gripping her heart, chaining it like a prisoner who has been sentenced to death row. But even with terror filling her every being, there was still room for a minuscule amount of confusion that's been asking a question.

A question that had been plaguing her mind every since she was grabbed by the bad man in the village.

How did it come to this?

Her young mind was unable to comprehend the matter of what had transpired at her hometown.

She had woken up in fright by the bell that started ringing outside. From then on everything was a haze as she was pulled to the streets by her mother. No one explained to her what's going on and mum told her that they needed to run towards the church. The lived at the edge of the village, near the fences and the church is quite a distance away. They ran and ran, the feeling of unease had never left her but she thought she should be fine since they're in the village, it's the safest place that she had ever known after all. But that belief was shattered when a bunch of men in cloak appeared out of nowhere.

Her mum told her to run but she didn't, she was too afraid to move. With the fires illuminating the streets, it had somehow cast an eerier shadow on the oncoming figures, making them look like the demons that were described in her bedtime stories. Her tiny leg was completely frozen stiff as her mother tried to carry her away while the men in cloaks close the distance between them.

But her mother fell not a few steps later, plunging to straight to the ground with her still being in her arms. When they dropped she fell from her mother's grasp and landed on the ground. Her skin scrap against the dirt, hurting her but not enough to tear her skin. It hurt, she could feel her tears stinging her eyes but she pushed herself back up regardless.

Why did they fall? Did mum tripped? She always said that running would cause that. She slowly look up, blinking away the tears as her eyes landed on the fallen form of her mother.

Her mother was laying face first on the ground, completely unmoving. Her hair was in disarray, covering her face like a veil. The child quickly move to her mother's side, her young and innocent mind thought that her mother was asleep and she wanted to wake her up before she catches a cold.

But there was something that caught her eyes and questions began to form. Why is her mother's clothes on her back torn? Why was the red liquid pooling around her? She never got close enough to find out as a pair of large hands grab her from behind, lifting her feet up from the ground as she was roughly put over someone's shoulder. They started to move, walking towards the opposite direction of the church, straight towards the fences. She didn't know who it was but she started to kick in response, trying to wiggle her way out so she could reach her mother's side.

But she couldn't get away, the hands around her wrist held on firmly and when she looked up she could see that they were leaving her mother's still form behind. More men in cloak were running around the place and spreading around like spiderlings from a spider's egg sac that had just been burst. They were heading towards other people's houses, breaking down their doors as they enter.

Her mother should be fine right? She's strong. Nothing could keep her down for long, not even when she was struck with illness. But then why haven't she gotten up yet? Why was her mother still on the ground? Was it her fault? Is she mad that she didn't run like she told her to?

"Oi boss! We got a problem brewing with the boys." a voice shouted out from the entrance of the tent. A man was standing there, looking worried as he acquire his boss' attention.

"Huh? What is it this time?" the large man that had been forcing her eye open finally let go as he turn around to face the newcomer with an annoyed glare. The child felt a brief moment of relief but that was all as she was still hanging in the air by her collar. But she had another problem coming as the man tightened his grip on her collar, causing her neck to being constrained by the fabric, making it very hard to breath as she wheezed and kick her legs in the air. Her small hands tried to pry open the large fingers that's holding onto her collar but with how weak she is, she might as well be trying to push a giant bolder that's towering over her.

"I dunno boss, I wasn't with them but they all started getting panicky for some reason so I thought I should get you to calm them down." The nameless grunt explained hesitantly.

"That's all!? Gods, you halfwits are more useless than I thought." The scarred man complained as he let out an exasperated sigh. He put on a contemplative look as he started lowering his arm that's holding the girl as she continues to struggled to break free. Her tiny feet almost touched the ground, she hazy mind thought that she could finally be free from this suffocation before her entire body was yanked away from the ground once more, denying her the relief that she so desperately needed. She could see black dots started to form at the edge of her vision as her body started to feel weak. Her breathing came out as faint rasps, her hands slowly slid off the fingers that she was grabbing and dropped to her side lifelessly. Her last bit of conscious slowly ebbing away like a smothering flame as her eyes gradually close on their own.

Just as she was in the verge of passing out she felt herself flying in the air. She had moment to wonder why before her back collide with a something, halting her flight. She could feel herself being embrace by someone and a sense of security enveloped her before she was gently place down. She could feel that her head was being laid against something soft.

She began coughing and gasping for breath as she slowly opened her eyes again. With her vision slowly returning back to her bit by bit she could make out that the rest of the captured villagers were hastily moving to her side, trying their best to comfort her. When she regained her breath, it wasn't long before she started crying again. She place both her hands under her bangs and covered her eyes, sobbing freely now as tears continue to leak from her eyes.

The scarred man just gave the people in the tent one more glace before he walk away fuming. "This better be a fucking real problem you hear me! I swear if you shitheads are just getting riled up for nothing again and wasting my time, I am going to gut one of you open in front of everyone." he declared as he stomped out of the tent, following the other person as he was lead away.

As he left, the little girl continued to cry, curling up against the warm body that she's resting on. The women around her were speaking to her, trying their best to soothe her from the traumatic ordeal that she had just experienced but she didn't have the focus to listen to them.

She didn't know why she was treated this way. There were so many questions but she didn't dare ask any of them. Why did the bad men have to come to her home? Is she ever going to see her mother again? Will she ever get to go home?

"Mummy….Daddy….Elena…..Alex….Jeanne. I wanna see you again." amidst her soft weeping, her heartfelt desire to see those close to her went unheard as the rain outside continue to pound down heartlessly.

The girl had cried herself to sleep that night with resentment filling her heart.

 **-0-**

When Alian exited the tent, his boots were was once more greeted with the marshy mud and his body was being embraced by the cold damping rain. He looked up into the sky, the clouds were still hanging above them like the harbinger of doom. He didn't know why but it gave him a sense of foreboding.

He immediately crushed that thought though. They're just a bunch of clouds, no need to get so worked up over it even thought the attack failed because of it. They would disperse soon enough and then they would decide whether or not they should risk another attack on the village.

But still, they would need to move on the to next target soon if they wanted to meet the deadline. The captives are going to be a problem to transport around. While the women could be use as stress relief during the journey, it's going to be hard to make sure they don't die from negligence, illness or if the boys got too rough with them and break them completely.

Then there's that little brat too. He knows for sure that she's going to bag him a lot of money if sold to the right person. But can she survive the long and harsh journey the way she is right now? It would be a waste if she suddenly died halfway and the other women in the group all seem to be strong willed and stubborn. They would probably try their best to escape even if they had their legs broken to keep them in place.

Hmm, it's better safe than sorry.

"You two!" he suddenly barked as he point towards the two that's sitting around the tent entrance. They sprung up like springs and straighten themselves as their body tensed to the point where they could be use as poles for drying clothes.

"Y-yes Boss!?" one of them shuttered out as his eyes widen in panic.

"Get the cart and load the slaves into it. I want them to be delivered to the cave as soon as they're all on board." Alian paused for a while, his mind thinking about something of importance before continuing. "And take a few of the men with you. If any of them escaped because you're undermanned to handle them then I'll put your head on a pike." the bandit leader barked out his order.

Both of them flinched at the volume before looking at each other and then to their boss. "B-but it's the middle of the night, plus it's raining heavily." the man on the left tries to reason. Trying to go anywhere when the weather is basically going against you and the added low visibility is just asking for an accident to happen.

"I'm not asking you to do it, I'm _ordering_ you to do it. If I don't see you moving right this instant, you're next in line to be used for target practice!" the scarred man snapped and the two quickly move from their position. One was heading to retrieve the cart while the other went to gather more men to help with the transport.

Alian sighed to himself when the two were gone from his sight. Seriously, he didn't pay any of them to question him on his orders. He wanted those that would do things as they're told, not ask why they have to do it. He started thinking that maybe he should drill that particular goal into his followers mind. That way they would stop asking useless shit and stop wasting his time.

With them gone, the bandit leader continue to stay nearby the tent as a precaution. His mind lost in thought as he his head turn towards the camp where the loud voices of his subordinates could be heard even with the downpour drowning out most of the sound. They sounded like they're in distress, their voices shouting over one another but what they were shouting was muffled and unclear so he would need to get closer to make out what the fuck they're shouting about.

If he's right then the rest of the men that were left back at the cave could take care of the captives until they get back. That is unless they prove to be incompetent like the ones that he brought with him.

They were already told what to do if they couldn't make it back. Some of them were slavers so they should know how to take care of the villagers they had acquired tonight. They were even told to sell them on their own if he couldn't make it back within the week so that they wouldn't need to expend so many resources to keep them alive and healthy until they return.

With so many unpredictable things that could happen during their journey to the other villages, there's a big chance that they will be delayed for a while before they could get back.

There's also the issue of low manpower since most died during the raid. But it should be easily rectified by recruiting at taverns or shady areas where those with malevolence intent lurk around, waiting like a predators in hiding, just waiting for their prey to enter that area.

The sound of horse hooves trotting on the mud brought the scarred man's attention back to the present. He saw a large brown horse dragging a large cart that already had a few boxes of valuable trinkets that they had looted from other villages on it. The grunt was siting on the cart while holding onto the reins and looking rather uneasy about the trip that he has ahead of him. At the corner of his eyes, Alian saw a group of his men approaching. Good, now he suppose he should warn them not to do anything that would diminish the salves' value at the market. If he's not going to have a chance to try them out first then non of them are. Besides, the ones that still have their virginity intact are worth more after all.

 **-0-**

After watching his men load the villagers into the cart and set off into the darkness, the bandit leader thought that at least they would be able to get some money for all their trouble and decided that it's time to find out what the fuzz with the men was all about. The shouting and yelling seem to be getting louder with each passing minute and it's really beginning to grate on his nerves.

Withholding an exasperated sigh and the desire to punch someone's face in, the bandit leader head off to the main source of the commotion at the center of the camp.

He move past the dense vegetation hindering his path and once he push past the bushes that was blocking his view, he was greeted with the sight of some of his grunts in the middle of a shouting match that seem to be developing into a fist fight. The rest were watching as they form a circle around them, a few were off to the side talking to each other, their gaze would periodically shift to the trees with wariness present in them, their bodies ever so tense as if something in the forest would jump out at any time.

"Alright, what's the problem this time you shitheads." The scarred man bellowed at the top of his lungs, gaining everyone attention as he stomp his way towards the center of the camp like a giant gorilla. The ones that were about to engage each other in a punch down immediately stops when they spotted the giant ape whom they were forced to regard as their leader. They quickly attempt to straighten themselves as the scarred man walk into the circle formed by the rest of the gang.

"Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you all!? Instead of resting and cleaning up, I find you all squabbling among yourselves like children fighting over a toy." The bandit leader chided them in a disapproving tone as he study the actions of his men. "Now tell me what the fuck get you all so riled up before I lose my patience."

"W-well boss, the boys keep saying that they heard strange noises coming from the woods. I keep telling them that they're just imagining it but then they started to see strange shapes moving in the trees." The one closest to him explained the situation as best as he could, shrinking when the bandit leader's attention was drawn to him.

"Is that it? Then why the hell are you all standing around arguing for!? It could be someone trying to find out where our camp is! Send someone to check and get rid of the pest for fuck sakes." The scarred man wanted to slap his own face or the face of the person closest to him out of sheer frustration when faced with such...such idiocy from his men. Instead of trying to solve the problem together, they would try to tear each others throats out at the slightest disagreement they have.

It's a miracle by itself that they haven't killed each other yet without him there to keep them all in line. They're like a tightly packed pile of powder keg that's just waiting for a spark to set them off into a blazing spectacle. It's giving him a massive headache just to keep them all alive and the only reason why he didn't let them kill each other was because he had already paid for their services and the fact that he didn't want to set up the camp himself.

Why on earth did he even hired them in the first place? Oh right, they were cheep and expendable. Maybe he should have use more of the money to hire more competent ones instead of these muscle heads that's only good for cannon fodder or a bunch of pack mules.

"We did! But the ones we've sent never returned!" another one exclaimed in panic. "We wanted to sent more to check or just plain out charge into the woods but these guys said we should stick together and stay at the camp instead and let whatever's out there come to us." he jab a finger at the ones that his group was about to fight with. "We'll be like sitting ducks out in the clearing like this and if the people from that place decided to get their revenge we'll be surrounded easily. So I say we take the fight to them in the forest where they'll have a hard time trying to distinguish between friend and foe in the dark."

"You do realise that we'll have a hard time trying to figure out who's who in the dark too right?" a voice come from the crowd. The bandit leader was actually glad that someone here was smart enough to notice the flaw in that plan.

"They might get away if we just stay around, think of it as a chance to grab more people to sell as slaves." the guy argued passionately, lust clearly present in his eyes as he no doubt think of the women that he could rape. No one pointed out to him that if they were being attacked then it's most likely only males that are attacking while the women are back at the village tending the wounded. Some even thought that he knew that but is more interested in men then women and promptly step away from him.

" _ENOUGH!_ " Any further discussion was ceased when the large hairy man cry out in anger, his voice cutting through the area with ease. He didn't have the time to deal with them right now.

If what they said was correct then there's someone or quite possible a whole group of people lurking around the forest. The ones that were sent to check was most likely dealt with already and their strife within the group would most likely be noted. But just how on earth are they able hear something moving in the forest during a loud downpour such as this is something to be questioned.

He took a breath before continuing. "How many was sent to check?" he questioned sharply, his eyes narrowing into thin silts as he look over at the crowd.

"We've sent five." came the answer from the one closest to him.

"Then sent ten this time and make sure they stay together instead of splitting off to be easy pickings for those in the woods." the large man ordered. "I want them to check if it's actually something wandering in the forest instead of just a wild animal and the five that you've sent before didn't just bailed on us. The rest of you," he turn his attention towards the crowd as he spoke. "Keep your weapons with you at all times just in case the villagers decided to get brave and-"

His words were cut off when the earth beneath them trembled. Everyone fought to keep their balance, some failed and fall flat on their arses or faces. The scarred man quickly crouch down and kept a hand on the ground for extra stability. The earth shook for a few more moments before everything became still once more. Panic arisen in Alian heart but he squash it down mercilessly though years of practice and took note of the surroundings.

Those who had fell were looking none the worst for wear as they scramble back up to their feet. Some were visibly spooked at the sudden tremor from the ground and panicked shouting came from every direction.

"It's the Demons! They're coming to get us for attacking their home!" Someone among them started wailing out in fright. That person's ridiculous claim sent a wave of unease throughout the crowd, causing more and more people who believed that to overreact and started banishing their weapons like a bunch of drunkards. Alian pushed himself back up and took in the scene of chaos and disorder as his men act like headless chicken and run around panicking. Some of the more composed ones were trying to get the agitated idiots to stop swinging their weapons around before they get hit by it.

He needed to get things under control immediately! He didn't need anymore dead men to decrease his manpower and they all look like they're ready to ram each other in the throat. Today is just not his day. Nothing had gone the way he wanted it to and problems just keeps piling up like the mountain of corpses that he had made over the years.

"Everyone stop panicking! It's just an earthquake for fucks sake! Get yourself together before you-"

The earth trembled again and this time it's stronger then the last one and it came with the intensity of a raging herd of elephants and it showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. Some of the trees around them uprooted themselves before they plummet with great force, snapping their branches as their bodies collide with the ground. Dirt burst as the roots of the trees were, quite literally, uprooted. It flew high and landed everywhere near the fallen trees as their roots become visible and no longer buried underneath. His men were yelling loudly in panic, obviously frightened by the spectacle.

This time the scarred man was not prepared for the tremor and was caught off guard. The unstable ground caused him to fall but he uses his hands to stop himself just in time before his face meets the mud.

With an irritated growl, Alian pushes himself up and nearly slipped because how of slippery the ground was. The sound of people falling to the ground caught his attention and he look up to see that his men were all collapsing to the ground like he was and is unable to get up because of the combination of the mud and earthquake.

This is surreal. Here they were, being brought down to their knees by the whims of nature herself. He would have laugh at how absurd the entire situation is if he didn't realise something crucial with what's happening.

He look around again, this time focusing on the smaller details around him. The ground itself was unnaturally wet and sluggish. Even with a heavy downpour like this, the ground shouldn't be this loose and slippery. It's almost like they're stepping on slimes instead of mud. Then there's the tremor that's stopping everyone from getting a firm foothold. With both of them combined it's almost like nature herself is stopping them from getting up and leaving. Now that's an amusing thought. There's no way that-

No, something's wrong here. It's too much of a coincidence for both of them to happen at once. Now that he think about it, that village itself was also very unnatural.

He was starting to worry about his life at the face of this uncertainty. The threat of the unknown has invoke something primal inside his very being. Fear, fear of not knowing what would happen. It's every human's basic nature to fear what they didn't understand. Now that fear seem to have crippled him, freezing him in place as his mind churn and twirl to find answers.

Could it be that what the guy that he had gutted said about a witch living there be real?

If he had thought about it that way then everything would at least make some sense. It would explain why his luck was so bad tonight and why everything seem to be going against him in some way no matter how careful he planned his attac-.

"We're all going to die!" a high pitch scream that almost sounded like a woman's came from one of the guys.

His men's senseless shouting and screeching was not aiding him think in this situation.

He will not lose to something like this! A goddamned witch will not defeat him with her tricks. At worst this tremor will keep them unbalance and the mud will make things slippery but it's no threat to them. Once they got use to it they can stand without any trouble. After that they-

The ground give one last violent shake before it ceases completely, the entire area that was once a loud and chaotic mess was now as quite as a graveyard. The only sounds that could be heard was the loud pattering of the rain and the exhausted panting of the people around him. Some were still shouting in panic, not noticing that the tremor had already stopped and stayed on the ground, flailing their limps around like retards. Then, a terrifying thought hit him.

They're completely defenseless as a newborn baby the way they are right now!

"Get up! Everybody get up right now!" the bandit leader's voice seem to have restore some semblance of discipline among the men. At his words, they all tried to push themselves back onto their feet using their hands or their weapons as support.

They stood back up in haste but that was as far as any of them could go before the ground beneath them collapsed, opening like the jaws of a hungry beast and swallowed them whole. They fell, dragged down by the force of gravity as they continue to plummet down towards the seemingly bottomless hole that suddenly appeared beneath them.

The scarred man felt like he's been falling for a long time but in reality it has only been seconds. He finally felt his back ram into the ground and flared in pain. His brain shook inside his skull, causing him to see double vision and experience dizziness and a headache. Only when confusion of the sudden fall had passed did he realise he had already reached the bottom of the pit that magically appeared.

Alian and his men slowly rise up from the ground as he fought back a pounding headache that seem to be sprouting at the back of his head. Alian's best guess was that he had hit something with his head when he landed and now he's feeling the aftereffect of it. The rain continue to pour and an idle thought struck him as he stare up in to the sky. He wondered if the hole that he fell in would actually be filled with water at some point.

He look back down and started studying the pit that they had fallen into. it was dark but he managed to make out a few details if he squint his eyes hard enough. He look up again to judge the depth of the pit and estimated that the entire thing was at least four meters deep. It's also very wide, almost wide enough to fit hundreds of people in here and still have enough room for more. The walls were smooth, a bit too smooth for them to find any holding to use for climbing out. The entire clearing that he and his men were standing in seem to have collapsed or rather, it's almost like an expert swordsman had cut the ground beneath them in the perfect circle with no rough edges to be seen anywhere.

His men were enveloped with fear and confusion as they attempt to scale the walls of the hole they found themselves in. Their fingers just slip on the dirt like they're brushing against glass. He saw one of them hitting the dirt with his weapon, trying to create a hole for him to hold on to. The scarred man's eyes widen in disbelief when the weapon was repelled by the dirt like he was hitting metal, creating a loud thunk as it echoed throughout the area.

The entire space just screams unnatural. What's worst is he and all of his men were trapped in it like rats in a cage. He just knew that everyone present in the camp had fallen into the hole because they were all gathered at the clearing. Even if by chance one or two lucky guy didn't fell in with them they would have ran away the first chance they get. So there's no hope of being rescued from the outside. They would have to stack themselves up to make a human ladder so they would have a chance to escape this plac-

Another tremor stopped his thoughts in it's tracks while his men scrambled to gather themselves next to each other into a circle so that their backs would be covered while they face the walls, praying that it wouldn't collapse on them and bury them in a lonely and pitiful grave. The scarred man brace himself for anything that might happen, his eye darting from side to side, surveying the walls for any sign of it breaking apart.

"EEK! It's them! It's the demons!" he heard one of his men let loose a high pitch shriek like a banshee. He quickly turn his attention towards where the voice came from and saw a hand pointing upwards, trembling violently as it continues to point towards the air.

Everyone's eyes followed where he was pointing and looked up.

At first they couldn't see anything due to the darkness but slowly and surely, they saw something standing at the edge of the pit above them. Those who had return from the village alive started crying or shouting about demons and witches when others just stare at the creature in bafflement, unsure what to say.

Standing on the edge and silently watching them like a hawk was a child- No, it's not a child, that thing was nothing like a child except for it's size. It's entire body was being hidden by the veiled of the shadows but even then, they knew, they instinctively knew that what's standing above them wasn't human. Who would think that after discovering that the figure's body proportion was all wrong.

It's head is, if one could called it that, looks jagged with sharp points prodding out and is more oval shaped than a normal human head could ever be. It gave the ones who were looking the impression that a rock was there instead of a head. The same could be said for it's body. It's torso, legs and arms all look like they were rocks stacked up to mimic a human figure and is somehow miraculously able to hold itself together without falling apart.

The bandit leader couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a small humanoid figure shrouded eerily in the shadows. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the figure and his heart seem to quicken with each passing second. It was just standing there, completely unmoving.

It couldn't be real. Someone must have left it there when they were distracted from the fall. But there wasn't any traces of other people outside of the hole nor are there any hint of anyone placing the weirdly shaped figure it there. The thing above them almost look like a badly assembled doll build made to resemble a human child.

Everyone was feeling a vast array of emotions as they stare at the figure, unsure of when it got there and what it's purpose was.

Then it happened.

On the doll where the eyes should be, an ominous red light shone in place as if glaring at them. Everyone, flooded with fear, quickly make a fool of themselves and tried to run away from the unknown entity. But being trapped, there's no way to run as they mash their bodies with each other trying to put more distance and meat shields between them and it. Shrieks, were heard, profanity were shouted, prayers were said but everything came out like a badly organized opera as their voices combine into an unintelligible mess.

Alian, the only one who somehow managed to remained somewhat calm during when bore witness to something like that, clinched his fists tightly as he watch what the entity was doing with anxiety invading every fiber of his body.

Even with the loud gibberish everyone was shouting at the top of their lungs, his ears were still able to pick up something coming from outside of the hole. It was faint but he heard it just fine. It sounded vaguely like wet sploshes, it reminded him of something heavy was stomping through the a puddle of water.

His ears no longer register the voices of his men. What he saw was enough to stop his brain from processing anything else. His attention and awareness was solely focused at the edges of the pit he was in.

There were dozens of them. All appearing with glowing red eyes that seem judging their worth as they march closer and closer towards the edge of the pit they were in. They started surrounding the entrance to the pit, leaving no gaps in between for those inside to see through. And like a well trained army, they all stopped just a step away from falling in the pit that they were in with synchronized timing and precision, putting their foot down all at the same time with one final stomp.

The people inside the pit could only anticipate what's going to happen to them in distress. No one did anything nor did they try to escape from the pit because their routes were all blocked by the stone like entities. Then, those demon possessed dolls did something none of them had expected.

They watched as the creatures suddenly split apart by themselves while only four remained unchanged. From what Alian could see, they seem to be entirely made out of rocks and clumps of dirt and that's when the realization hit him. They were Golems! He heard of them before long ago. They were figures made entirely out of earth and brought to life by magic! Magic is real! It's actually fucking real! There's no denying it when the truth was being held right in front of him.

The pieces started floating from the ground and hovered silently over the remaining four.

The bandit leader thought that they were going to be buried in this shit hole by those floating derbies. But those thoughts were derailed the moment the floating chunks of rocks and dirt seemingly attach themselves at the remaining demons. Their bodies merged with the derbies, fitting perfectly like pieces of a puzzles. The creatures were changing with each piece they absorbed, slowly forming a new image.

Each clumps of dirt, each chunk of rock that mashes with the creature only serve to make it bigger, morphing it's shape into something else entirely. Those monsters have grew to the point where they could easily tower over the scarred man.

Sharp spikes started prodding out of their shoulders, their thin like torso was replaced with a giant boulder, their legs grew to resemble an elephant's foot and their arms thicken to the point where they look like thick logs that were attached together to form limbs. The glowing red eyes suddenly gleam more intensely as they remained vigilante on their post.

The sudden change in appearance turned them into a more menacing, more sinister sight to behold. The entire scene would have a very uncanny resemblance to demons or devils that came from the very depths of hell hovering above at a burning pit filled with sinners ready to be judged for their wrongdoings if it wasn't for the rain that was constantly pounding down with the force of a raging river.

No one spoke for they are all paralyzed with fear. Only the bandit leader seem to have semblance of control over his own body, his strong will refused to let his emotions control him completely like a puppet. He needed to do something to ensure his survival against these monsters that appeared out of nowhere. He opened his mouth to shot an order to get his men to form up so that they would have a fighting chance against these _things_ that's towering above them like giant killer statues.

But nothing came out of his throat when he realised that it would be pointless.

His eyes caught sight of the state that they were in. Their legs trembled violently where they stand, some were on their knees praying as hard as they could for any salvation from God. A couple actually have brown stains appeared on their pants, telling him that his men soiled themselves in terror. Plenty were trying to convince themselves that what they're seeing is not real. A few were already laying on the ground with their eyes rolled up, apparently unable to handle the emotions and let it engulf their consciousness.

He's doomed, he promptly concluded.

His men were indisposed and there's no way out and he seriously doubt his weapons could do anything against those Golems. They would shatter like glass before making a chip on their bodies. The only thing he could do is to use his men as distraction and engage the monsters as he find a way out to save himself. But with them being unresponsive and fighting to keep their bladder secure, they couldn't even buy him a few seconds.

The bandit leader slowly look up at the Golems with a look of resignation and despair surfacing on his features as he abandoned all hope of ever escaping.

The Golems, as if given some unheard signal, started to move as one and bend their 'knees' in a synchronized fashion. Then they did something that's suppose to be impossible for their weight. Despite their mass being almost over a ton, all those statues is somehow able to leap into the air with ease like they actually weight nothing more than regular humans.

Immediately after the four Golems hurdle themselves towards the pit that the bandits were in, they plunge down with the force of a falling star. Their weight made them into dangerous ballistic missiles as the slam their entire mass down into the ground. The earth shook with fury as they landed among them, one even landed right on top of a few men. Those unlucky sods were instantly crushed into a meaty pulp. Skulls were crushed, limbs were smashed and their body were ruptured and their organs oozed out from the bodies as they were squashed like ants.

Then mayhem ensued.

Everyone scattered like a bunch of cockroaches within the pit as they did everything in their power to avoid the monsters in there with them. It became every man for himself as they drag each other down, trying put just one more body between them and the demons so that they would live longer.

But to those Golems, it didn't matter whether you're next or not because they were all at their mercy. And in the end, they were all going to die by their hands for the things they have done.

Their large arms started swinging around like giant battering rams, sending piles of bodies flying and colliding with each other, instantly killing them with the impact. Some were even hit so hard that their torso were torn off from their bottom half and was sent flying away. A few were still alive even though their bodies have been separated. They could feel themselves flying in the air, their eyes saw their bottom half still squirting a fountain of blood form their stump and trying to run away before collapsing to onto the mud, forever burning the scene into their minds before they ram into something else and their consciousness fade away into nothingness.

The bandits were treated like pests to be exterminated by the Golems, they were crowded together like animals for slaughter and killed in the most brutal way possible. One of the Golems even took their time killing them, opting to slowly squeeze the life out of the one it had grabbed in it's hands. Another used a man that it caught as a weapon, swinging him around like a club before discarding him when his body no longer resembles anything like a human. The lucky ones were instantly killed without having any time to feel the pain that's being inflicted on their bodies.

Alian's men tried to fight back but it's completely hopeless. Their weapons were ineffective and they all break or chip when they made contact with the golems. Some didn't even tried to do anything and rush off to their death while laughing like madman, clearly something had snapped in their heads for that to happen.

Alian could only drop to his knees as his strength left them, his entire body tremble along with the earth as the giant statues stomp on the ground when they move around, killing his men left to right. He had never encountered such overwhelming foe in his life. He, a solider who had trod through countless battlefields during his youth had seen so much devastation and countless slaughter. But as the war rages on with no end in sight, he choose to betray his country and prey on the weak for an easy living. But even with all those years in the battlefield soaked to the brim with blood couldn't prepare him for something like this.

His enemies had been humans! Beings that could still be killed no matter what kind of defenses or armor they hide behind. But these monsters, they feel like they can't be killed at all! Each of them tower over three meters in height, their bodies were made out of stone and dirt rendering weapons to be useless and each seemingly have the strength of a titan as his men were being toss around like toys.

He wanted to scream out in frustration, to do something to wake himself from this nightmare. But in the end he knew that the scene in front of him wasn't the something his mind had conjured up in his sleep. His body could feel the rain splattering against his skin and each tremor he felt manage to shook his very core. He watched grimly as more and more of his men died, knowing full well that it would be his turn soon.

Within minutes his men were massacred without any real resistance at all. Hundreds died by the hands of those Golems and only one remained, still on his knees as he watch the spectacle with the face of a man who had given up hope when faced with the impossible.

Why he was left for last, he didn't know. The only thing his mind registered was that everyone else that had fallen into the pit with him were no longer in the world of the living. With no one left to focus their attention on, the Golems all turn around at the same time with deliberate slowness to their movements and level their gaze at the man. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he had lost control of his own bladder when they looked at him but at least he could take solace with the fact that no one was alive to witness it. The knowledge of him losing control of his bowels will be taken with him to the grave.

The Golems started to surround him, their eyes seem to be staring into his soul as they move to form a circle with him trapped in the middle. He didn't even try to fight against his inevitable fate but rather, he had already prepared himself for his end, staring at those monsters all around him with no trace of fear in his eyes.

To think that he would be reduced to this sorry state by something like this. He had always thought that he would meet his end during a glorious battle with the knights that were sent to subdue them or by an executioner's blade. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought of being killed by monsters summoned by a witch.

But to his surprise and confusion, the statues suddenly crumbled all together. Those huge menacing figures break apart piece by piece starting from the top and scattered all over the place. The man quickly raise his hands and cradle his head to protect it from the falling derbies all while screaming like a girl. His mind told to him that he's going to be buried alive in this dark, damp pit filled with the corpses of his men.

But to his shock and delight, the giant rocks didn't even touched him. The worst that he suffered during the supernatural incident was that he was rain upon by pebbles and dirt and some got into his mouth when he was screaming for his live.

Once the onslaught of raining pebbles stopped the scarred man slowly peak up to take in his surroundings. He was alone in the pit. His eyes dart around to find anything that resembles a humanoid figure made out of stone but found none. He finally allow himself to relax and that was when he noticed that at some point he had unknowingly held his breath in. It was when his burning lungs desperately called out for air did he finally take in the breath that he needed. The air taste of blood and grime as it entered through his throat while he tries to calm himself down.

He could scarcely believe it. He looks around one more time to convince himself what he's seeing is real. He even pat his own body to make extra sure of it.

"I'm alive? I'M ALIVE!" he shouted out for the world to hear as his arms stretch out into the air, his hoarse voice just barely heard because of the rain that was starting to show signs of stopping. Tears began to leak from the corner of his eyes as the feeling of relief was threatening to overwhelm him.

But his premature celebration was ended rather quickly when someone tapped his shoulder from behind. And In his drunken cheerful state, he didn't think twice about it and spun to met who it was. His smile was instantly turned into a wide parting jaw when he was greeted with a small, child size Golem that's waving it's hand a little too energetically.

Horror started to spread in his heart and a scream was building up in his throat. But the shriek that would no doubt be loud enough to shatter glass was cut off when his face was greeted with a small stone fist, so was his consciousness.

With the bandit leader dealt with the Golem has done it's duty. It nodded to itself in sanctification before tapping it's tiny foot on the ground. A small tremor was sent throughout the hole it was in before everything became still once more. In an instant, the earth itself came to life. Plenty more of it's kind raise from the earth around the Golem like the dead were crawling out of their graves.

The heavy pouring rain slowed down to a small drizzle as the magical construct assemble themselves under it. A total of a dozen stood among the mutilated carcasses of what was once a large horde of people and some had appeared outside of the pit too. If one were to look closer, they would noticed that they looked completely different from each other. None of them looked remotely the same. What's more, none of them had any appendages that made them looking menacing, they body sizes are vastly different from one another and none of them were the same height. The last group that appeared were designed with intimidation and killing in mind but these ones were more of a work force than efficient killing machines.

Without even having been told what to do, they scattered throughout the place like soldiers on a mission. The ones in the pit started gathering the bodies and limbs that had came off and placed them all together in the middle while the ones outside were cleaning up the remains of the camp that the bandits made. Things that are valuable like weapons that are in good condition or things that could still be used were picked up and tossed into a giant, fat looking Golem that's actually hollow inside. It's main purpose was to serve as a transport to move things around in it's belly. Other useful items but were somewhat damaged were collected and placed at a pile to be sorted out later. Everything else was properly discarded with care. The Golems was given the command to made extra sure that nothing remained of the camp and the bandits when they're done.

After they're done, the corpses will be burned and buried in the pit to prevent any foul stench and diseases from spreading.

By the time morning rolls by nothing would look out of place in the forest. If a wandered were to walked in at where the camp used to be, they would find a normal large clearing with a fresh patch of dirt in the middle of the forest instead of grass. Even if they were to look around they would not find even a single trace of evidence that a large group had once camped here recently, nor will they ever find the large pile of bodies buried deep underneath the earth that they are treading on.

However, the villagers of Domrémy remain unaware of the massacre that had befell their attacker and still believed that they were still out there, lurking in the forest and waiting for another opportunity to attack. They quickly took steps to deal with the situation.

Able bodied men were were left guarding the premises, all already tired but are willing to stay awake throughout the night so that they could keep the rest safe. The women worked hard without rest as they try to save as many wounded as they could or trying to calm the children down and comfort them. Roxane was among them, giving instructions to the rest and patching wounds expertly. She seemed like she had just ran a marathon but it's to be expected because she had just ran back from her home after treating a patient there.

By the coming morning, things will be calmer but their lives will be forever changed because of tonight's event. But they will recover, and they will never forget what had transpired. And in the end, they will learn from the past and become stronger because of it.

 **-0-**

 **Chapter End.**

 **-0-**

 **Year 1427, June, 5**

So, this drunk guy in the tavern told me that his this town has been getting sightings of a giant wolf of all things lately. According to him, the wolf seem to be lurking in the forest and scouting the place at night, almost as if it were looking for something.

He and a many others were worried whether or not that wolf would attack once it got brave enough. They wanted to do something about it but fear they would lose some men when they tried to exterminate it. The guards stationed here is about as useful as a red shirt from Star trek so I'm not going to bother asking why they didn't ask them to do anything about it.

But upon hearing about a giant wolf, I thought that it might be a Dire wolf like Roxy. This might be a chance to find part of Roxy's family and reunite her with them. Not sure if wolves accept others from another pack and would attack her when I brought her to them but eh, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

So, being the good guy that I am, I told the drunk guy that I would look into the wolf problem that they have, maybe even get rid of it while I'm at it.

He thanked me, wished me luck and even say that they will bury my body if they ever find it.

What a swell guy.

 **-0-**

 **Year 1427, June, 6**

Hey diary, remember what I said yesterday about there being a chance of finding Roxy's kin?

Well, I went searching at night like I said I would in the last entry. And boy, you'd never believe what I found in here. I couldn't believe my eyes either when I first laid my eyes upon it.

THERE'S A FUCKING WEREWOLF MAN!

No wait, let me rephrase that.

FUCKING A WEREWOLF MAN!

Yes! You've read that right!

I saw a man, having sexual intercourse, with a fucking werewolf!

Oh wait, before I use some sort of amnesia potion, also known as alcohol, to forget what I saw; let me mention that it was actually the other way around because the man was bend over with his arse sticking out while the werewolf was gleefully ravage his anus.

I think need brain bleach instead of alcohol.

The werewolf seem to be enjoying it immensely. The man also seem to be enjoying it just as much as the werewolf because he was yelling 'harder' repeatedly and letting out strange moans.

It was nothing that I've ever seen before.

And just like that, I knew that I needed to prevent the spread of this disease, tear it out from it's roots and eradicate it until there's nothing left. No Furry lovers will take root in this world! Not when I'm still alive!

And so I killed the man, it was a mercy killing because he's obviously been infected by lycanthropy in some way since you know... I don't need two gay werewolves running around this world, raping every men they could get their hands, claws or penises on.

The werewolf didn't like it when I killed it's mate though.

Then it attacked me with a raging boner and all.

I got bit.

In a non sexual way mind you.

That fucking silver dagger did jack shit against the werewolf. I thought it's suppose to be their weakness for fuck sakes! Whoever you are that made up that shit, Fuck you man….not literally. God, I hope I'm not infected.

I don't wanna turn into a gay werewolf.

 **-0-**

 **Omake:** **You Died**

 **-** **0-**

All around me I could hear fire raging violently, I could feel the heat slowly closing in from all sides. But the roars of the flames were not the only thing I could hear. There were soft sobs coming from my side, telling me that there was someone else here with me.

 _'It's over'_ I thought to myself as I lay motionless on the wooden floor.

The window that I tried to break remains unscathed as my strength finally left me as I was about to leap at it with a rock in my hand. I barely even got close it before I collapsed like a broken puppet, too tired to even stand.

I weakly move my hand over to Catherine but my arm wasn't long enough to reach her. Shame, I at least wanted to hold her to comfort her before we die in a blazing inferno.

 _'Sorry little potato. Can you forgive this useless older brother for being unable do something so simple?'_ I slowly pry open my eyes, wanting to see my sister one last time but the last thing I saw was a burning wooden beam falling straight towards my head.

 _ ***Splat***_

"*Groans* Oh god, what's with this massive headache." I muttered out in discomfort as I lay against, shifting my body to get the best comfortable position so I could lay there. The cool wooden floor creaked as I shift my weight and press the back of my palm against my forehead in a vain attempt to shave off the headache.

Wait, cold floor?

Wasn't everything burning like it's hell on earth a few seconds ago? And why do I feel so refreshed? I couldn't even move a finger when I fell to the ground and had to give up hope of ever escaping my burning home with Catherine.

Oh God! Catherine!

At the thought of my sister that I have left by my side in a burning building, I immediately snap open my eyes and regretted it.

It was bright!

The light shone into my eye like the sun itself decided to flash me like a creepy dude in a trench coat, just like it did every morning when I was sleeping peacefully on my bed.

I slam my eyelids shut and use my hands to cover them for extra protection and screamed in pain as I rolled around in the ground like an idiot. It took a while before the stinging subsided and I finally stopped. I spread my limps out and pant, tired from the pointless rolling that I did.

Once I've calmed down sufficiently enough, I pry open my eyes again more slowly this time.

I was undoubtedly surprised when I saw a perfectly fine wooden ceiling instead one that's on fire. Even more so when I saw a light blub attached on the center, shining brightly and illuminating the room I'm in.

I stared at the bulb with confusion wrecking my brain and a sense of nostalgic rising in my heart because of the familiar object that I haven't seen for four years. At that moment my mind processed the realisation of what a working light bulb mean. A working light bulb means there's electricity around, if there's electricity then that means…

I quickly look away from the ceiling and push myself up to see where I am, hoping that my some miracle that I've returned home. It would be great if I was back to my own time and house and everything was just a freakish dream.

But to my dismay, I found that I'm in some strange place that I've never seen before.

The floor, ceiling and the wall's lower half was made out of wood, the top half was made of what appears to be cement. The room's design seem...to be eastern in design. It's almost like a dojo where people train in. It's almost like those places where people practice Kendo.

Scratch that, it is a dojo! What the hell!?

Why the heck am I suddenly in a dojo of all things!? And where's Catherine!? Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?

"Oh ho, is seems that you're finally awake. I must say, I didn't expect to see a child to appear out of nowhere, usually Master would have done something first to warren something like that. But please, do relax. I do believe that having a wooden pillar dropped on top of your head could be a bit headache inducing." I heard a male's musing voice coming from behind me. Just by the voice alone is enough to sent my skin crawl. What's worst is that it came from right behind me. I quickly spun my head to see who it was and once again regretting that I didn't think before I act.

There was a man standing behind me. How and why he's there is something I normally would have thought of first but that train of thought was beyond me at the moment. There were two most notable feature I could see on him with just a glance.

He's very tall, muscular too if his physique were anything to go by and stands with a slouch. His skin was a deadly pallor, almost like he had never seen the sun before in his life. He's also holding on to a piece of paper and reading it with interest. But that's not the most notable feature of the man, what really got my attention was his face. He has huge, rolling eyes that seem to be in danger of popping out at any given moment and oily, glistening cheeks. Just looking at his face reminds me of a fish.

A very punchable fish.

The second most notable feature about that guy was what he was wearing.

Out of all the things he could be wearing it had to be a Japanese school gym uniform.

For females!

Complete with bloomers!

Very tight fitting bloomers that did nothing to hide his bulging crotch as it were several size too small. In fact, the clothes he wore seem to be made for a child.

The reason why I regretted turning around without thinking was because his bulging crotch was mere centimeters away from touching my face!

Oh My God! My fucking eyes! They burn! They burn with the fury a thousand suns!

"Are you okay?" the perverted man asked in a voice filled with concern.

I didn't think. I don't think my mind is functioning very well to the sight right now. So my body just responded on it's own to protect myself from the bulging and smelly threat in front of me. I managed to leap back despite being in a sitting position and got into a boxing stance.

"Crotch shot!" I shouted and swing my fist toward with all the strength this child like body could muster.

My fist connected and I feel disgust and regret as I could feel my hand touching something I never ever wanted to in my life. Against the impossible, the pervert's eyes seem to bulge out even further when my fist landed. I think they would pop right out of their sockets if I land another hit.

The man collapse to the ground and let out a pained screech as his hand went to his crotch to cradled his testicles while I stood there with my fist still outstretched as I try my best to process just what the heck just happened. The piece of paper that he was holding started floating away without any of us noticing.

I let my arm down as my eyes dart around to see just where the heck the pervert came from and saw the entrance to the Dojo wide open. I must've been too immersed in my thoughts to notice him coming from behind me.

My headache had subsided somewhat and it wasn't bothering me that much anymore so now I could finally think properly without the annoying throbbing in my skull.

That's one question answered but that still leave two more. Where am I and where's my sister. Maybe the perv has the answer as he seem to be the only person here beside me. I turn around to face the man on the ground still shedding tears from those overly huge eyes of his at the pain he was experiencing.

Before I could get a word in, I heard another voice from behind me coming right from the entrance that I have noted. It was faint at first so I didn't catch the beginning as the person gets closer.

"-es, what's going on in ther- *Gasp*" the sound of someone gasping in surprise came from the entrance and my body tensed immediately because my back is completely exposed and defenseless.

Thinking that it's another perv like the dude in the gym costume, I apologize mentally to my eyes and prepared for the worst as I slowly turn around to see just who the heck is it. I silently pray that it's not a drag queen in spandex but a part of my mind noted that it shouldn't be since the voice sounded feminine.

I was really relieved when I saw that it was a woman standing by the doorway. But the sense of relive didn't last long as I remind myself that I still have no idea who these two are and whether or not they intent to do me any harm. I'm still confused at the sudden change in location but for now I have to focus on the present. God knows that being randomly teleported to some unknown area isn't the strangest thing that had happened to me.

I narrowed my eyes at the woman as I regarded her carefully while not really letting the strange and pitiful man on the ground completely out of my sight just in case he tries anything.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I could feel my heart skipped a beat and my face growing hotter as I stared at her. The woman in front of me could only be described as a beauty and I thank whatever deity that exist that I'm not a teenager with raging hormones right now because I don't think I could keep my eyes off her if that's the case.

Also, she's wearing a kendo uniform consisting of a white Uwagi and a blue Hakama that's somewhat big for her, almost as if the uniform belonged to someone taller than her. She's barefooted though. Now that I think about it, me and hentai dude was also barefooted right now. Strange. I distantly recall putting on my shoes before running out of my room. But why? Was there a reason for me to go downstairs? I can't remember.

The woman seem to be in her twenties or something, or maybe even younger. I don't know if I'm right or anything since I've never been really that good at guessing people's age. Her height is rather average for a woman's and I'm no pro at guessing people's three sizes so that's best left unsaid but I can see that she has a very nice figure even with the baggy clothes she wore. There's a thin metal chain around her slender neck, obviously belonging to a necklace but it was hidden underneath her uniform. Still, one thing had to be said.

Large boobies.

There, it has been said.

Why do I feel like I've sinned or something just now? I suddenly felt depressed and guilty just by looking at her inappropriately. The guilt is oddly soul crushing and it came from nowhere. Heck, I've been staring at women like a little perv that I am during the duration of my infant years but not once had I feel a little bit ashamed of myself for doing so. But now I feel like I should just be soaked tits-deep in magma in hell while Satan's little demons poke their pitchfork at me repeatedly while Justin Bieber's songs is being played in the background.

Unfathomed levels of suffering that is.

So, in effort to stop feeling like shit, I stopped staring at her inappropriately and return my attention to analyzing her.

She has blond hair with the front and side were trimmed short to the length of her shoulders while the back was left to grow to the point where it could touch her rear and was tied into a ponytail. But somehow, even though this was the first time that I've seen her I kept feeling that she's familiar to me somehow.

I think it's her eyes.

They were a pair of amethyst coloured eyes that was so pure that you could see the reflection of your own soul in them.

The woman seemed to be in shock when she saw me because her eyes were widen considerably and a hand was placed over her slightly parted lips. I could see confusion on her face as she look at me but it was gone in a moment and she suddenly squealed girlishly with her hands clasp together in front of her chest. It was my turn to be surprised and I could feel the same feeling that I usually get when I was still an infant and some random lady saw me. It was the kind of feeling I get when they saw how cute I am and proceeds to pinch my cheek and coo at me like I'm the most adorable thing in the world. To this day, I still haven't figure out why they like to pinch my cheeks so much.

She suddenly lunge forward towards me at frightening speed.

I found out too late that she's very fast despite her small size and before I could react to her sudden movement, I felt myself being lift off the ground effortlessly by her as she tackled me and pulled me into a very tight hug. I could feel the impact as she rammed into me in full force. Seriously, who the heck would ram into a delicate looking kid on purpose?

Though it wasn't painful because she came with two cushions on her chest to lessen the impact. Very soft cushions. Cushions that she's currently smothering me with right this moment as she hugs me like she haven't seen me for decades or something.

I couldn't breath so I started squirming like an earthworm to get out of her hold but her grip remained tight as she kneel on the ground with me in her arms. My childish body could not even find a leverage for my to use to escape this position. A few moment passed and she still haven't let go of me but instead, she placed her chin on top of my head and started snuggling me like I'm some teddy bear.

I think she's purring.

Good lord, just how much strength does she have in those slender arms of hers? I- I think I'm seeing black spots all over my vision right now. My mind's getting all fuzzy and my strength slowly slipping away.

Mom? Is that you? Why are you standing on the other side of the lake? And why are you shooing me away for?

Thankfully, I managed to find an opening between those valley of hers and pull my face out of her soft bosoms at the very last minute and inhaled the much needed air that my lungs were burning for. I started gasping rapidly as I felt my ebbing strength returning and the black spots in my vision slowly fade into nothingness.

"Please let go." I pleaded weakly, my voice came out hoarser than I expected but at least it managed to get my message across as the woman let loose another gasp in surprise and let me go. Rather suddenly too and I fell on my buttocks because I wasn't expecting her to just drop me like a sack of wheat.

"Ow." I muttered as I could feel the budding pain on my arse once I landed on the ground.

"Oh no." The woman exclaimed in a bit of panic as I slowly sat back up. "Are you alright Alex?" she asked worriedly as her eyes look over me for any existing damage that I may have suffered from being dropped like that. "I'm so sorry for doing that but you were just so adorable when you're so small. I swear this isn't how I imagine our reunion to be nor did I expect you to be so small and cuddly." then she started fretting over me like a mother hen as she apologized for the tackle and the drop and continue to ask very absurd questions regarding my fall. It's kinda touching that a stranger would worry so much about me but I do wonder if she's actually alright in the head because there's no way any normal person would get chickenpox from just a fall.

As she bombarded me with questions as ridiculous as it is touching, I could only stare at her with confusion plastered onto my face like a painting when she said my name with such familiarity. It's almost like we're friends in someway. Apparently, the woman knows me yet I have no idea who she is. She didn't look like someone from the village because I would sure as hell remember someone with weapons of mass destruction like those. But someone she just seems so familiar. I can't put my finger where but it's almost like I've seen her more often that not. Also, one thing that she had said earlier caught my interest.

"Reunion? What reunion? I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've met." I pointed out and immediately regretted doing so because the lady suddenly looked like a kicked puppy. This would probably be the third time I regretted doing something without thinking through since I've woken up in this place.

"Ah...I see." she let out in a disappointed tone as she look down with a strained smile on her face. I could the hurt in her eyes but before I could say anything or to ask why was she sad, she spoke up. "N-never mind then." she look back up, the sadness from before was gone, or rather, shoved away. And what replaced it was a warm smile on her face as she regarded me like a long lost friend.

She shifted her body so that she would be sitting properly on her knees in a typical seiza. It was then did the piece of paper the weird guy was holding finally drifted down right in front of her. Noticing the paper in front of her, she grabbed it from the air and started reading it with interest. "Ah, I see." She exclaimed in surprise and take a glance at me before returning to the paper. She held up her index finger and placed on her chin as she let out a long, thoughtful hum. I stared at her, not really knowing what I should be doing right now before she turn her attention back to me, letting her both her hand down to her lap along with the paper.

"Well then Alex, I'm sure you have a lot of questions right now but let's start with introducing ourselves first. We can't have a proper conversation if you don't know who we are after all." She told me and I raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in topic but nevertheless decided to let it flow because I'm already hella confuse right now. Since she's offering free information right now I don't see why not.

"Okay I guess…?" I replied uncertainly with a nod.

"Excellent." The lady started gesturing over at the man on the ground. "Since you've met him first, the man over there is-" She began her introduction but was cut short by me when I rudely interrupted her as I narrowed my eyes at the guy on the ground who seem to be recovering right now.

"Hentai dude." I deadpanned.

"E-eh?" The lady sounded confused at my sudden interruption.

"I'm calling him Hentai dude, I don't care what his real name is and you can't convince me otherwise." I declared in annoyance with a nod, my arms were crossed in front of my chest as I did so. There's no way I want to know what the pervert's name is. Fish face would do too but what the heck, first impressions makes the biggest impact after all.

"I-I see. Very well, I suppose it's my turn then." She place a hand over her chest before continuing, a warm and sincere smile graced her face that caused me to blush and my heart to skip a beat again. Thankfully, it went unnoticed. "You may have trouble believing it at first but I'm actually J-"

"I'm calling you BB by the way, just in case you're wondering." I interrupted her once again like the ill mannered child that I am. I don't want to know her name. Or rather, I think I already know who she is but is trying my best to deny the reality in front of me. I pray that I would get used to how beautiful she looks now because if she's really who I think she is then it's going to be a problem for me in the future once the hormones does it job.

No, wait. I recall dying so I suppose I don't really need to think about the future anymore right? Hold on, I died? That can't be right.

"BB? What does it stand for?" she asked in a confused tone, knocking me out of my thoughts.

Bountiful Boobies. Those words were at the tip of my tongue but I somehow managed to stop it from coming out. I feel like it's something that should never be said in front of her, or at all for that matter.

"Now that I think about it, since you seem to know more than me, shouldn't you be explaining to me just what the heck is happening right now?" I shifted the subject masterfully, or at least I think so because BB just blinked at me before chuckling to herself with a hand over her mouth.

Her giggles filled the room and I could see the mirth shining behind those amethyst eyes of her as she tries to control herself. Her soft and melodious laughter seem to be plucking at my heart strings with little to no effort and I can't stop myself from blushing as I look away and pout angrily. That only serve to amuse her even more. God damn it body, you're only four! Why are you reacting like this!? I haven't even hit puberty yet!

"Very well then." She told me once she's managed to get her laughter under control with a bright smile. "Since you're so eager to know I suppose we should get started. Let's get the cushions first so we don't have to sit on the floor." Now I know that she's just humoring me like she would to any child that tried to act all mature.

"Gi- Erm… Pendai Bude?" The word came out of her lips sounding rather off mark and completely different than the name that I have bestowed upon Hentai Dude. Maybe because I said Hentai dude in English and she said it with a French accent?

Upon being called by BB, Hentai dude immediately sprung up and saluted the woman in a typical military fashion, looking no the worst for wear. It's almost like he was faking the pain of being struck in the balls all this time. BB looked rather displeased when he saluted her and he seem to realised it too and the salute immediately dropped as he started rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with a smile. It looked freaking weird as I couldn't stop comparing his face to a fish's. Hell, stick a fish's head where his head used to be and I probably couldn't tell the difference.

"Do you need me for anything J-"

"BB." I interrupted like an ill mannered brat, still trying to deny the reality in front of me. Hentai dude could only stare at me in confusion before turning to look at BB only for her to shrug good naturedly with a smile.

"Could you please get the cushions from Miss. Taiga? We need something to sit on as we converse." She politely requested the man.

"Oh~" Hentai dude suddenly exclaimed with his eyes widening in surprise. Any wider and those eyeballs of his are going to pop out, that I'm very sure of. Wish I could see it. But I think I would freak out first if it actually did happen though. "To be able to receive a request from the Saint herself..." Hentai dude trailed off and started shivering as he hold his own shoulders close, kinda in a way a masochistic pervert would when he's getting off from insults people are throwing at him.

Then he put on a serious expression and stare at us with those blank fish eyes of his and thump his chest with his fist, standing tall and proud. "Leave it to me! I shall acquire those cushions for you to rest your holy buttocks on without fail!" Due to his muscles bulging at his actions, the constraining shirt he wore finally reached their limit at being stretched too much and exploded.

Like literally exploded.

With explosions going off in the background and shit.

Now Hentai dude is standing topless right in front of me and BB, looking like he had just received a message from God himself and would risk his own life to accomplish it by any means necessary. Need I mention that I'm technically a minor right now. If this is actually the twenty first century, I guess I could always call the cops on him for flashing a minor to get rid of him. Good thing my hands instinctively shot up and shielded BB's eyes the moment I saw the tear on Hentai dude's clothes. I don't know why, even though I've only known her for a few minutes I know that the woman's just too pure at heart to be traumatized by a scene like that.

And with that, the man was gone. Ran straight towards the exit in haste to acquire the cushions that BB has requested.

You know, my life used to make sense before I reincarnated.

I let my hands down from BB's eyes and cup them over my mouth. "Put on some shirt for fu-Christ's sake!" I shouted out, hoping that he could hear me so that he wouldn't return topless as before.

BB looked like she just remembered something as I shouted and turn her head towards the exit and cup her hands over her mouth like I did. "Please bring the snacks from Mr. Emiya if you can. Don't let Mashu or Saber see you with them otherwise they would eat them all again." Her voice came with a slight hint of panic as she shouted the last part.

"Have no worries! I shall return victorious with the items in hand!" I heard the faint reply of Hentai dude as his footsteps continue to echo into the distance.

Both me and BB just watched the doorway as if expecting something to happen. Thankfully, nothing did and BB place both her hands on the ground to push herself up from her kneeling position. I shift my attention towards her due to the movement she had made and watched her carefully, not wanting to be ambushed by her tackles again.

"Well then, let's not dally any longer shall we Alex? We can talk as we wait after all." BB said, smiling softly at me as she pat her Hakama to get rid of any dust that may have gotten onto it.

My only response was to tilt my head slightly and shrugged.

 **-0-**

The three of us sat comfortably on the cushions that Hentai dude brought. Or rather, BB and Hentai dude were since there were only two available because the rest were already being used. Apparently there's more people around this place than I have originally thought but I haven't met them yet. But I can tell that they're a lively bunch because of all the noise going around.

Since there's nothing for me to sit on, BB 'persuaded' me to sit on her lap, she was quite enthusiastic about it too. She seem all too happy with herself when I finally relented and did so. Once I'm seated on her laps I snatched the plate of french fries away from her hand. I didn't even ask where she got it nor do I care. I miss food from the future and I'll be damn if I let my fear of being tackled stop me from eating them when they're being offered right in front of me.

Now she had one hand latched over my stomach to keep me from going anywhere while her other hand was petting my head as she chuckled to herself, eyes closed as she seem to be lost in her own memory.

BB and Hentai dude were sitting in front of each other with a kotatsu in front of them. You know, the Japanese kind of table that people could put a heater underneath. Let's not forget the blankets that it came with, one that I'm currently using as my legs were stuffed underneath it. It's freaking cozy in there. It's comfortable enough for me to fall asleep at any moment but I have more important things to do at the moment than to sleep.

Mainly, eating.

There was a wide variety of snacks placed in front of me and praise whatever deity responsible for their creation for even creating them in the first place because they tasted heavenly.

How!? I wondered to myself as I took another bite of the rice cracker in my hand.

It's just rice crackers and yet they taste like food made only for God himself. It's like each bite managed to sent my tongue into a blistering euphoria as the flavors explode in my mouth like a freaking nuclear bomb just went off in there.

Anyway, as I was wolfing food down my mouth like a shounen manga protagonist, Hentai dude was tasked with explaining things to me, the piece of paper from before in hand and was busy rambling on because BB had immersed herself in her own memories as she pets me. A rather happy ones if the smile on her face was anything to go by.

But what Hentai dude said went unheard as I was focusing on devouring everything before me like a person that had been starving for centuries. Technically I have been since now it's year two thousand something and I'm from the fifteenth century.

I know what he was telling me was something important and may or may not be related to why I'm here right now but dude! This shit is so delicious that I can't stop shoving them into my mouth.

Oh, Hentai dude had tried to take some for himself but I slapped his hand away and horde the goods all to myself like a greedy little bugger and continued eating. But I'm not that greedy. I did give some to BB after all but that's because she's cute and Fish face is not.

BB giggles as I felt a finger poke my inflated cheeks filled with food. "You look like a hamster. Oh how I wish she was here to see this." I heard her spoke to me in a tone filled with mirth. Her melodious chuckles filled my ears. It sounded so warm and comforting that I couldn't even get angry at her for teasing me. I couldn't help but feel rather...at ease, in her company.

But back to the problem at hand. Hentai dude did some long exposition that may or may not have gone over my head because I'm too busy eating the rice crackers in front of me like a greedy little pig. But at least I listened to BB's part while we were waiting for Hentai dude to pick up the snacks and cushions so I at least understood some things.

The dojo belong to a person named Taiga and they were just borrowing it for the duration of their stay and also, I died via pillar to the head. How did they know that in the first place you ask? The paper in Hentai dude's hand seem to be holding all the explanations which I'm not allowed to read and is written by one Kiszer Selreach Schmiggleworth or whatever. I know I got it wrong since the name was too long and frankly, I don't really care who wrote it.

Well, being dead a bummer. But I'm not surprised about it actually. Weirder things have happened to me that knowing I'm dead right now really wouldn't do much to my mental state.

BB did say I would have survive had I didn't spend to much time looking though my prank chest for anything that I may need. Shame. She also said something about a grail and timelines going bonkers or something right now and they were taking a break on fixing it. I don't really know since that's when Hentai dude returned with the snacks, clothed (Thank god) and with plentiful wounds that seem to vanish when I wasn't looking. Then I stopped paying attention to my surroundings as I ate.

"-nd that is how we're here. Have you gotten any of what I have said?" Hentai dude finally asked me with a satisfied smile on his face, feeling like he had did his part in bestowing his knowledge upon unworthy heathens to convert them into his religion or something.

"Nope." I bluntly replied in a monotone as I stuff a potato chip into my mouth.

Hentai dude let out a long sigh at my answer as he place a hand on his face and pulled it down, dragging his skin along with it. "I should have known that something was wrong when you were being so quiet."

"Now, now." BB said as she plop her chin on top of my head, both her arms wrapped around me now. "Alex is only a child. We can't expect him to stay interested in what you have to say and understand everything immediately. We need to take account of a child's short attention span after all." I could feel BB hugging me close as she snuggles happily against me like I'm an oversized teddy bear.

Lady, I know I'm freaking small and adorable but please stop. I really don't like being treated as a kid.

No wait, don't stop. I've changed my mind. In fact, I'm quite okay with this treatment. But why the sudden change of heart you ask? It's because I can feel her bobbies pressing at the back of my head as she pulls me in. Yes, I'm a perverted little brat, I know.

Oh great, it's that depression that came out of nowhere again. I could feel the guilt starting to weight on my heart and my eating speed slowed as I tried to fight it off with sheer willpower. It's weird and getting annoying but at least I know the cause. Namely BB. She somehow has the uncanny ability to to make people instantly depressed or just too guilty to continue the lewd train of thought they have about her.

I'm not sure if it's some sort of defense mechanism that she have to deter horny men from making any advances on her or if it's just her innocence aura radiation from her that's making me feel bad for even thinking of her that way.

Since I already know what's making me feel this way, there's a way to instantly stop feeling like shit. It's a simple trick really, just think of something horrible.

Like Bob in a ballerina dress.

Oh shit! Bad idea, bad idea! Abort! Abort the mission! Quickly bef-

I was too late in stopping my mind from conjuring up the image craft directly from Satan himself and it was horrible alright. I almost puke out all the food that I have eaten. Scratch that, I did barf them out and it got all over Hentai dude. Now he stinks and is covered with the stuff.

Instant boner killer that image was. But at least I no longer feel like I should be crucified for thinking about BB in a lewd manner. Also, Hentai dude cleaned himself off with ease since all he did was wave his hand and poof, the puke was gone. Magic.

"Alex." BB called me worriedly and somehow produced a handkerchief from her uniform and started wiping my mouth. "Maybe you should stop eating so much." she advised in a motherly way as she clean me off. "Clearly you have had enough. If you keep eating anymore you'll just empty it all out again."

"Impossibru. Too good. Can't stop." I muttered out in short sentences as I fight against the childish instinct to push away the handkerchief that's cleaning my mouth. I reached out to grab more of the food but my hand was swatted by BB lightly. I turn to pout at her but she gave me the stare that my mother always use when she means business. Seeing that, there's no way to change her mind, I took the time to look out the window since I heard someone laughing outside.

I was wondering if there were any weird hallucinogens in the food because I think I saw a guy wearing a raindeer hat as he crawls on the floor on all fours with a child on his back. That child look suspiciously like BB but way too pale and inappropriately dress in some weird, revealing clothes and had a Santa Claus hat on. She was laughing quiet happily, legs kicking the side of her mount as the guy in a white shirt continue to crawl pitifully.

It's also snowing outside by the way.

Then there's a girl wearing purple body armor with a giant freaking cross strapped onto her back as she ran towards the two, shouting something in Japanese. The kid saw her and ordered her mount to start running by kicking his sides and he did so like a whipped little bitch that he is.

I promptly look away, pretending that I've seen nothing at all. I must be imagining things because of all the confusion I'm currently experiencing. Yeah, that's right. Totally legit excuse to escape from reality.

But when I turn around, what I saw was the bulging crotch of Hentai dude getting nearer and nearer to my freaking face.

"Oh dear, look at you. Getting yourself so dirty. Here, let me help." I could hear him say in concern as that swelling bloomers of his inch closer like the impending reminder that death is always approaching no matter what I do.

I'm afraid, so very afraid that it would burst just like his shirt did.

"No. Get any closer and I will poke your eyes in." I denied his offer harshly and threatened with my hand held with two fingers sticking out, waving it around to get my point across. Hentai dude stopped in his tracks and seemingly brighten up like a Christmas lights as a grin made it's way on that fish face of his.

Then he started laughing heartily to himself. BB started chucking too, leaving me completely confused as it alternate my attention between the two as I wonder just what's going on. It's almost like they were laughing about an inside joke that only they know. I got curious of course but I didn't ask about it since it's non of my business. At least Hentai dude isn't coming any closer anymore.

"The Boss is the same as ever, no matter what his age is." Hentai dude said between his laughs as he wipe away a tear in his eye as he tries to suppress his laughter.

Now that got my attention. Normally I would dismiss it as the mad ramblings of Hentai dude (Yes, I've labeled him as a madman already) but the way he said 'The Boss' made me curious. And so I asked with a tilt of my head and a single eyebrow arching upwards. "The Boss? Why the heck are you calling me The Boss? It sounded like a title instead of a position coming from you." In fact, it made me sound like some low budget movie crime lord or something.

"Arara~" BB let out in a cutesy manner with a hand on her cheek as she regarded Hentai dude with a small frown. "You're not suppose to call him that." she said before I felt a hand being placed on top of my head with a plop. "I'd rather he doesn't know about it at all so he doesn't get any weird ideas." she continued with a small sigh as she started petting me again.

Lady, you're really obsessed with patting my head. I'm getting kinda worried here. Also, I'm intrigued to know just what you guys are talking about. "So...you're not going to explain why Hentai dude is calling me Boss?" I asked BB with childish curiosity present in my eyes as they sparkle innocently at her with a sweet, innocent smile on my face.

BB and Hentai dude both turn to look at each other, making eye contact. They seem to be having a silent conversation with just their eyes, debating about whether or not they should tell me what I want to know. I couldn't help but feel left out this way. If possible, I want to try the eye conversation thing with someone one day. It would be awesome.

In the end, BB just sighed and nodded towards Hentai dude in resignation after their silent debate and he took it upon himself to tell me what I wanted to know. "Very well then." Hentai dude straightened himself as his eyes met mine. "To put things simply, you are the founder of the mafia that ruled Italy's underworld with an iron fist for about a few years before you got bored and moved on with bigger things." Just like that, Hentai dude dropped the bomb as if he was simply discussing the weather.

"When!?" I blurted out. I don't recall doing anything like creating an underworld organization during the time I was alive.

"When you were fourteen if I recall correctly." He answered as he scratch his chin in thought.

"But I died. You two said so yourselves, the letter from what's his name, said so too. How am I suppose to be the boss of a freaking mafia of all things if I'm dead?" Questions started running themselves through my head but non of the more important than the one asking just why can't I think of a better name than the Boss of all things to call myself.

"Oh don't sweat the small stuff Lexie." BB said in a comforting tone as her chin once again found their way on top of my head. It was then did I notice that she seem to be immune to the prickly hair of mine. Normally, people would get annoyed when they're poked by it a lot.

"Don't call me Lexie! And me dying in what I assume to be a gruesome way isn't something that could be considered a small matter at all!" I retorted in pure reflex. "Anyway, back on track. How?"

"Magic." BB simply answered with a bright smile.

"That explained so much yet so little at the same time." I deadpanned. It sounded like something I would use whenever I can't be bothered to explain something to someone. "I'm guessing future me use that excuse a lot didn't he?" I look at Hentai dude for confirmation.

"Every time you couldn't be bothered to actually explain something, yeah." Hentai dude answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"Figures." I muttered under my breath as I look away into the distance, mainly outside the window, as I wonder just what else future me did. My sudden change in view only lead me into seeing a lot of blonds outside. Like lots, really lots. It's like an army of them out there, each doing different things. What frightens me the most is that they all mostly look the same but is wearing different outfits and had different bust sizes. What is this? A clone outbreak?

I promptly look back into the dojo and ask another question. "So, whats this about a mafia?"

BB perked up at the question and started swaying her body left and right as she let out an excited 'ah'. Since I'm still being latched onto her, I was taking along with the swaying. "Well, since you've never really told me what happened then, most of what I know is merely guesswork. What I can tell you is that you somehow managed to overthrow some kind of corrupted dictator in Italy that had been abusing his power for decades. By complete accident and lots of misunderstandings if I recalled. Then you set out to crash any form of autocracy that existed in that county because the people there kept begging you to help them after they realised how life was better in Florence after you 'liberated' it. BB used air quotes as she said that. "Then, one thing led to another and a bunch of people gathered under you in undying loyalty and you used them to create an underworld empire to keep Italy safe from the shadows." BB nodded to herself as she explained, one finger rubbing the side of her temple as she tries to remember the exact details of the past.

"Why the air quotes though?" I asked.

"Well...I'm not really sure if liberation is the right word to use…." BB trailed off with a distant stare. "Since in the end everyone is still being ordered around by a less cruel dictator that would manipulate them into thinking that they were free but was still following a system so they could be easily controlled. He also have no qualms with taking advantage of their kindness too." BB gave me a pointed look with a disapproving frown.

"Ah...I see." I laughed wryly as I look away, not really wanting to meet BB's eyes and I let out a sigh. Wow, future me is a prick.

"Don't be so downhearted Alex. I don't blame you for that...much. You had you reasons for doing so after all. You'd be happy to know that your dishonourable deeds made the country a better place, cleaner too due to all the backdoor deals and backstabs you had go through for it to work. Your minions even put a large scale portrait of you hanging at the entrance of their main headquarters. That way it's the first thing people see when they walked in. It just goes to show how much they revere you for the things you've done for them." BB lifted her chin from my head and I looked up in surprise upon hearing that.

"Wait, I actually agreed to that? I can't imagine myself to agreeing to waste my time to have a portrait of me painted." I never really like having my pictures taken back in my previous life, never know why, and I can't imagine sitting still for long periods of time just for someone to paint my face down.

"No, it was a surprise from your minions. And surprised you it did." BB answered with a giggle. "I helped out too, just so you know." BB informed me proudly, her chest huffing up in pride.

"Wow, I can't imagine how hard it would be to convince me to sit still just so you guys could paint a picture of me."

"Oh we didn't have to." Hentai dude answered because he felt left out of the conversation.

"Huh?"

"You were already sitting in front of a desk all day and completely unaware of your surroundings. It was an easy task to paint of portrait of you when you're like that. You were also wearing a very dashing suit by the way." BB blushes a bit with a small smile as she seem to think back to that time, a hand placed on her cheek as she lean into her hand and close her eyes. "The serious expression you always wore back then made you look rather charming if I do say so myself." BB's blush deepens as she let out a pleasant sigh, already lost in her memory.

"Okay, why are you blushing?" I couldn't help but asked.

"Mufufufu, indeed he does." Hentai dude commented with a small laugh as he blushes too.

"Why the fuck are you blushing too!?" I nearly shouted as I point a finger at him. Then I turn towards BB with a daunting expression on my face. "Please tell me he's not homosexual." I begged of her in a tiny voice filled with hope.

That seem to have snapped her out of her trance as she blinked and let down her hand. "Erm...he's not homosexual?" She told me, sounding rather unconvinced herself.

"Why do I get the feeling you're only telling me that because I asked you to." I narrowed my eyes at her accusingly.

"Tee hee." BB knuckled her head and stick out her tongue slightly in a cutesy manner.

"That was not reassuring." I deadpanned. "You know what, I think I'm leaving before he does anything to me." I said as I pull off BB's arm that's wrapped around my stomach, noting the lack of resistance this time and stood up.

"Ah, leaving already?" BB said sadly. The disappointment in her voice was enough to make anyone stay but the threat of a pedophile keep me from looking back at her, least I saw the expression she's wearing that will break my resolve to leave.

"Well, yes. I need to find a way back after all. How else is all the things you've told me going to happen if I stayed here." I reasoned, not really looking at her and keeping Hentai dude in my sight at all times just in case. "Any idea how I could get back?"

"Oh well, it was nice talking to you again Alex." I could hear the sadness in her tone. "The front gate is connected to a portal that we use to come and go. Maybe you can find your way back there." She informed me as she gave me a small wave and I started walking, waving back and keeping my ass to the wall for extra protection.

I kept walking and never looked back. Mostly because I dread to see the expression on BB's face that I know would resemble a kicked puppy.

Anyway, meeting these two were was an interesting experience but way too much crazy for me to digest in a single day. Hopefully all the craziness would end when I leave this place because man, I have one hell of a day already.

Here's to hoping that nothing else happen while I'm still in this place.

…

….

….

Aaaaand I've just jinxed myself didn't I?

God damn it.

 **-0-**

As the two in the dojo watches the retreating form of a small child, Gillies spoke to the woman beside him in a small voice. "You know Jeanne, this encounter makes me wonder what would happen if we were to tell him of his future in full."

Jeanne shook her head sadly. "It would be no use, the letter said so already. He probably wouldn't even remember this entire experience except for the feeling that he shouldn't be wasting time in the fire. There's so much that I wanted to change too, if only for his life a little easier." Jeanne's eyes had a look of longing in them but it was instantly gone as she look away from the raven haired child. "There's no point in thinking about it so why don't we just enjoy our hard earned break until our next mission comes up." Jeanne added as she reached out and take some of the snacks on the table and ate them. "Still, if by some miracle that he remembered, he would most likely come up with an absurd plan to stop it from ever happening and then wing it if it goes wrong." Jeanne said with a small smile.

"True, and knowing him, he would probably slap a nonsensical name for the plan just like all his other ones." Gillies mused as he sat down in front of Jeanne, the wooden floorboard creaked as he lower his weight on it. He started taking some of the food that he was denied before and savored them heartily. "The ambush that he so eloquently named 'Operation: Surprise Buttsex' is a very good example of it." Gillies laughed with mirth, his mouth crooked upwards as the fond memories of that time came to him. Oh, the faces on those poor soldiers was a sight to behold. He still remember fondly of those times when they unleashed the fury of their army upon them as they were caught with their pants down, literally.

He had asked Alex how he managed to laced their food and drinks with slow acting laxative. And of course, he replied with his usual answer whenever he asked how he manged to do something so absurd. Magic.

Jeanne nodded along as she purse her lips to the side, fingers drumming away at the table. Alex's naming sense has always been a bit off for as long as she had known him but she suspects that he was doing it on purpose. He also almost named a dog, cat just because he wants to and he would if Elena didn't stopped him.

Still, being able to see him again, even if he was just a child with no memories of the things that they have been through together was enough to make her happy. Him being so small and adorable was an added bonus. Without a doubt, she had enjoyed cuddling him like the teddy bear that he had given her when she was young.

Her eyes drift back to the door, noting that the figure of her childhood friend could no longer be seen and let out a sigh. His sudden appearance was a mystery. Then again so was theirs. The entirely of the Holy Grail War could be blamed for it as it tends to make things confusing, especially when time travel is involved. His appearance might be due to a singularity caused by Grail. It could be a one time thing or it could happen again, she would never know.

But she would rather not think about it too much since she's suppose to be enjoying her vacation. Working with other Servants and stopping Grail Wars is hard work after all, especially when some of them would rather butt heads than focus on their mission. Thankfully, she could stop some of the fights before it grow into something serious but she couldn't always be there to watch over them. She really wondered if she should ask all the mother figures in the Organization for help. It would certainly make things easier.

"Do you think it's alright for him to wander around on his own?" Gillies asked in concern, his eyes went to look out the window for any sign of the spiky haired teen.

"Oh, he'll be fine." Jeanne reassured him, leaning back and placing her hands behind her to act as support. "Just as long as he doesn't run into Alter-chan."

Then, just as soon as those words left her mouth, a loud girlish squeal could be heard coming from outside followed by the strained scream of a young boy.

"Oops." Jeanne scratch her cheek with a wry smile as she wondered if she had just jinxed her childhood friend by saying that out loud. But he'll be fine, he's Alex after all. The worst thing that could happen to him is that he would be dragged away to be a dress up doll.

…

….

…..

For some reason she sudden felt like joining in if that's the case.

Maybe she should. This is her vacation after all, why not have a little more fun and mischief while she's here.

 **-0-**

Omake End

 **-0-**

 **AN: Alas, Agnes' cries for help were brushed aside by the author as he steeled his heart and continue writing her horrible fate, her tearful pleads keeps glancing over the iron wall he had put up over his heart, not enough to dent it, let alone penetrate it.**

 **Agnes might be dead, or a slave that wants Alex to put her out or her misery when they met in the future. But wait, there's a small chance that the captives was saved when the carriage was intercepted during the transport. Or what if she's lucky and was taken in by a good family that pitied her? Oh well, her fate will remain a mystery and who knows what the author have in store for her.**

 **And why am I talking about myself in third person?**

 **Anyho, thanks for reading, hoped you enjoy and do leave a review cuz you know, they're like, really fun to read. I feel sad when they isn't much reviews each time I upload a chapter or a new story. That usually cause me to play video games and completely ignore the stories that I have laying around.**


	9. Aftermath (Final)

**What's this? A new chapter!? Are my eyes deceiving me? No it's not, it is a new chapter! But wait! There's no omake in the end? Curses! Damn you Author, you know that people only ready your stories for the omakes!**

 **Anyway, since no one really like long AN's at the beginning of the story I'll leave the rest at the end. Enjoy reading.**

 **PS: Sorry for the poor quality. I find that my writing skill seem to be deteriorating the more I write. This never should've seen the light of day in the first place but I'm tired of rewriting it over and over again so I just went ahead with this one.**

 **Warning: Bad grammar, wrong use of tenses and spelling mistakes inbound. You have been warned.**

 **-0-**

 **-0- = line break**

 **(0) = Pov change**

 **-0-**

Roxane sat silently on top of a large rock, silently sighing to herself as she felt her aching bones groan again when she shifted her body. It was painful but she ignored it rather easily. She had experienced something worst that aching bones after all. When you reached her age you just learn to live with the fact that you are not as young as you used to be. She could be considered ancient by everyone in her village as the average lifespan of a person born during these hard times would be forty years old or less.

It would seem that her body still hasn't recovered from the exertion she had put them through, not surprising considering her age. Now that she had the chance to properly think things through, she could've just stay on one spot or let one of her golems carry her instead while remaining out of sight. She shook her head slightly to get rid of those thoughts. That night is already over, dwelling on the past will serve no purpose other than regretting over the choices that she could have taken when she had the chance.

She choose to turn her gaze over to the lush field all around her, her eyes stopping at where a duo of blonds were kneeling on the freshly dug ground, not minding of the dirt and grass getting onto their dresses. She watched as the pair of mother and daughter knelt in silent prayer in front of two crosses imbedded onto the ground; surrounding them were the same wooden crosses, arranged neatly in lines with different names carved onto each one.

She had taken to coming here in the mornings, ignoring the other's plead for her to stay indoors and rest.

The sight of the poor makeshift graves sadden her. To think that not a week ago, this place used to be a large empty field where the children could play in. The graveyard they were in was brand new, located on the outskirts on the village only because the old one next to the church was already filled. The crosses were only a temporarily measure until their gravestones could be made and a fence could be erected around the premise. But it would take a while before they could get to making them. They had to focus on rebuilding the village first after all.

She chuckled softly when she saw how the little blond was doing. Poor little Jeanne; she just wasn't used to kneeling yet. She was constantly fidgeting with her legs while trying to concentrate with her eyes closed and hands clasped tightly in front of her chest. Roxane could imagine just how sore her legs are getting from the kneeling. But nevertheless, the child endured, not once uttering a single complain even when she's clearly uncomfortable.

A small smile graced her lips as she took in the sight of the little blond. Roxane had to admire the child's perseverance, or is it bullheadedness? Either way, she's so young and already so diligent. Jeanne had wanted to learn how to pray after she had seen her mother done so. Isabelle was praying for the quick recovery of a wounded militia member while kneeling next him back then. Jeanne saw her and asked what she was doing ever so curiously. Her mother had explained that she was doing and told her that God would watch over them and help them heal faster.

Of course, that also includes a very lengthy explanation of who God is which Roxane suspects that most of it may have just gone over the child's head. Oh well, at least she got the general idea.

Jeanne had pestered her mother to teach her immediately after hearing that. After seeing the determine look on her daughter's face Isabelle could only relent and taught her like she had requested. It was always amusing to watch when she was practicing. She would always botcher most of her words when she prays it was just so adorable. She's learning fast at least so she has that going for her.

Jeanne was undoubtedly confused and disheartened to learn what had happened to the village after her mother carefully explained the event that had transpired to her. And of course, being a child that she was, it took some time and patience before she vaguely understood that something bad had happened. She still didn't know just what but at least she knew it's bad. Roxane still remembered the crushing sadness she has on her face when she first arrived the morning after the attack.

Jeanne had tried so hard to help in her own way after she saw the state of the village. Whether it's carrying water over to people who were clearing the wreckage or encouraging them with botched up sentences and words which ended up with her twisting or biting her tongue; she would do so with a determine look on her face. The things she had done would always lift everyone's spirits and her cuteness certainly played a crucial role in it. Witnessing the two year old doing everything she can to help made those indecisive few who was still in a depressive state, resolve themselves to start lending their aid instead of staying idle.

Jeanne had clearly done more than she realised in this past week and to think that she is only two years old. The girl will grow up and do many great things in the future and that, is something Roxane firmly believes in.

Roxane noted that the two had finished with their prayers and was getting back onto their feet and she recalled that they have planned to visit Alex next.

As they two slowly got up, she thought to herself that maybe she should be heading back to observe the reconstruction of the village. She had been sitting here for quite a while already after all. It wouldn't do if something went wrong because no one was there to manage the hard working men. Well, there is one who could but he's still a greenhorn in that area. Might as well lend him a hand instead of pushing everything onto him.

Roxane attempted to get up herself so she could join the two ladies on their trek back. And of course, her old bones protested angrily, causing her to winched in pain. She hoped that neither of the girls saw that, otherwise they would be fretting over her immediately and she had experienced enough of that already. They didn't have to treat her like a fragile object just because she's more tired than usual.

"Ah." Roxane heard Jeanne made a surprised sound and had to withheld a sigh before turning to look at the little blond. As she had expected, Jeanne was looking at her with a look of concern, indicating that she had clearly seen her in pain just now. "Mummy! Mummy!" Jeanne called her mother urgently as she tug on her sleeve, causing the older woman to look at her daughter with a curious raise of her eyebrow.

"Granny ish in pain." Jeanne pointed at Roxane's direction and Isabelle saw just what was wrong. The older blond immediately made her way over to her with a worried look on her face while Jeanne followed behind as quickly as her little feet could take her.

"Elder! What have we told you about forcing yourself." Isabelle, like Roxane had expected, quickly made her way over to her side to support her so it would be less of a burden to remain standing up. Jeanne took a bit longer to reach them but when she did, she just stick closely by her side with her hand clutching onto Roxane's skirt. Jeanne's eyes were firmly set on the ground. scanning it for something that would trip over the old woman while she walks. Roxane just smiled at the little girl's actions before turning her head to face her mother.

"Thank you Isabelle but this is really not necessary." She told her as she started walking back towards the village with the two blonds following her closely. She knows that they mean well but it really gets tiring after a while. Repeated attempts to assure them that she was fine would always fail so she just gave up and let them fret over her. It's quicker that way at least.

"I would have believed you had I not heard about how you were running around that night and saw how often you would winch in pain whenever you tried to move Elder." Isabelle rebuked the old lady sternly, causing Roxane to chuckle. To think that she would be scolded at her age. Life is certainly filled with surprises.

"I'm Elder no longer Isabelle. You should start calling me by my name soon otherwise your husband would think you were calling him instead." The old woman informed her with a smile. It was after things started to calm down did Roxane passed on the village most vital role onto Jacques and thus, the mantle of the Village Elder goes to him now.

He didn't want it of course, but he was never given a choice in that matter. Roxane had simply patted him on the shoulder with her grandmotherly smile on her face and told him two simple words: 'Don't care'. She had been meaning to retire but never found the right time for it and after the entire ordeal that night it's safe to say that she's way too old for this.

Isabelle let out a light gasp as she recalled that fact. "My apologies E- Miss Lalande. It's just that you've been the Elder for so long that it's almost impossible to think of you otherwise."

"My dear, I've known you for years so please, just call me Roxane." The old woman was undoubtedly amused. Even now people still had trouble calling her by her name even after a week after she had announced that Jacques would be taking her place.

"Ahoy there!" a familiar sounding voice suddenly called out to them, causing the three to turn their heads towards where the voice originated from. There, they saw none other than a bandana wearing man riding a large white mount majestically named Butt Stallion (no one knows who gave the horse that name in the first place but everyone went with it) making their way over to them. Roxane noted that Butt Stallion is dragging a large wooden cart behind her with.

"Ah, Durand. What brings you here?" Roxane responded as the man and horse got close enough for her to talk to without shouting. Durand pulled the reins in his hand, causing Butt Stallion to stop right in front of the ladies. Jeanne quickly hid behind Roxane when the horse's gaze seem to fell onto her. The girl was still somewhat afraid of the creature due to the intimidating size the large horse imposes. It didn't help that Alex used to tell horror stories to her of Butt Stallion kicking people off cliffs when she was in a bad mood.

"I've come to pick up the village's most important person and two lovely ladies by orders our ever so esteemed Elder...whose still fumbling through his responsibilities like a fish out of water and praying that things would work out in the end." Durand announced with a large grin. "Truth be told, he's starting to get worried since you all have been gone for quite some time."

"That man worries way too much." Isabelle shook her head slightly with a sigh but Roxane could see that she was smiling. What wife wouldn't like it when their husband goes out of their way to make sure that they were alright.

"Well you can't blame the man. It's only been a week since…" Durand trailed off with grimaced when he recalled what he had seen during the morning after the attack in vivid detail. He regretted not being there to help out but Jacques had pleaded him to stay in his home to protect his family. In the heat of the moment that Durand didn't think to ask why he was leaving his family behind and while he was to protect his family. It was after some thinking did he realized just why. It was Jacques' way of making sure he'd stay safe without hurting his pride and being the kind of person he is, he couldn't just stay behind and do nothing. Convincing bastard managed to make him stay behind while he goes off and put his own life in danger.

He would have told him off for doing something so stupid but his wife beat him to the punch. And boy was she pissed. He swore that the entire house was shaking when Isabelle was yelling at him. Good thing he had the foresight to bring the kids outside first.

"So he's still trying to learn the ropes I see. And here I thought I did a pretty swell job in teaching him how things are done around here." Roxane tutted disapprovingly.

"No offense El-Miss Lalande, but your so called teaching was only telling him not to mess up too much before telling him that he'll be fine and saying that he'll learn the rest in his own time. That's not much for the poor man to start his new position with you know. Jacques was almost foaming from the mouth had Isabelle not been there to offer him support." Durand replied.

"Nonsense, when I first started out I didn't even know I had to do anything besides walking around the village all day."

As the adults were busy talking, Jeanne took a deep breath from behind Roxane and mustered the courage to poke her head out from the old woman's side so she could look at the horse. When she did, Butt Stallion seem to be looking directly at her, causing the little blond to let out a soft 'eep' and quickly hid back behind Roxane. Butt Stallion just did of horse's equivalent eyes rolling in response to Jeanne's reaction.

Jeanne eventually regained her courage and slowly poked her head out again. She studied the horse with a curious stare while the rest of her body remained firmly behind the old woman, treating Roxane like a shield against the beast. Butt Stallion's gaze fell upon her again but this time, Jeanne only flinched but didn't hide away like before. The two were locked in a silent stare off while the adults chatted away, oblivious to the on goings happening in the background.

Butt Stallion's attention seem to be solely focused on the little girl because when she slowly switch sides to peek out from, the horse to moved it's head to track her. Jeanne seem surprised and could only tilt her head with a confused knit of her eyebrows. Then, she switched sides yet again to see what would happen. As expected, the horse turn it's head to follow her.

Seeing that the mare wasn't doing anything other than staring at her, the little blond started to calm down. With her wariness of the beast slowly subsiding, Jeanne starting being more daring and slowly moved out of her hiding spot, standing in full view of the horse. The little blond could feel a small measure of pride starting to swell within her chest for being able to face her fear like so.

Brave little lass ain't she? Too bad Butt Stallion had other plans.

That feeling of pride Jeanne felt was short lived because Butt Stallion immediately trotted on the ground with one of her hooves, causing a barely audible 'clack' when her hoof hits the dirt. The sudden action and sound caused Jeanne to jump slightly with a much louder 'eep' escaping her mouth before quickly dart back behind Roxane. Butt Stallion let out an amused neigh as she shook her head, her silky white mane fluttered along.

And of course, the adults never noticed what the two were doing.

"Alright, alright. I'll ride the carriage." Roxane raised both her hands in a gesture of surrender, smiling wryly to herself. While Jeanne had been busy playing with Butt Stallion, the adults were trying to convince the old woman to hop aboard the cart that Durand had arrived with. Roxane had stubbornly refused stating she can walk just fine but after a while of persuading from the two adults, she finally relented.

"Great!" Durand exclaimed with a smile, happy that the old woman he had known ever since he was a child wouldn't force herself anymore than necessary. Durand quickly dismounted Butt Stallion. "Now let me just get the stepping ladder from the cart so it would be easier for you." he said as his feet touches the ground.

Roxane let out a rather pitiful sounding groan as a hand went to rub her face. Isabelle looked at her worriedly, thinking that Roxane was in pain rather than in annoyance for the special treatment she's getting because of her old bones.

"Are you alright Miss Lalande?" She asked worriedly as Durand climb aboard the cart to retrieve the ladder.

"I'm quite alright my dear. Don't worry about me." Roxane politely replied with a smile. "I would be feeling a whole lot better if you two were to stop treating me like I'm going to die if you let a single feather touch me though." she pointed out wryly.

"No can do Miss Lalande. The new Elder's orders to everyone is to make sure you receive the upmost care from all of us so you'll have to bear with it until you get better." Durand replied with a small smirk as he set the small wooden step ladder on the ground so Roxane would have easier access to the cart without having to heave herself over.

"Ah. I see." Roxane replied as a realization hit her. So this was Jacques' way of getting back at her for pushing all her responsibilities onto him like that. Oh well, she suppose she deserved it considering how much burden she had passed onto him. With a sigh, she just started moving forward towards the cart with Isabelle following her dutifully. Jeanne was trying to make sure she couldn't be seen by Butt Stallion while using her mother and Roxane to hide her from view. "Oh well, I suppose I should enjoy it while I can." she said to herself as she slowly walk up the ladder and sat on the wooden plank on the sides that acts as a bench.

As the old woman was getting on board, Isabelle wraps both her arms around her daughter, causing the little girl to squirm ticklishly with a giggle before she was lifted off her feat. "Come on Jeanne, time to go home." Isabelle told her daughter as she climb the ladder herself with Jeanne in her arms.

"Kay~" Jeanne answered cheerfully as her mother set her down. She quickly found a spot to claim and instead of sitting down, she remained standing so she could look at the scenery. She planted both her hands on the on the edge so she doesn't fall off and waited for the carriage to move. Jeanne rather enjoy riding in carriages, it's never gets boring for her when she could watch the scenery move on their own.

Isabelle sat down next to Jeanne and smiled. Her daughter would always get excited when they were about to go somewhere. She looked like she would bounce on her feat in excitement at any moment so Isabelle wrap her arms securely around her daughter to ensure she remains in the carriage.

"Is everyone already on board?" Durand's asked the obvious with a small laugh as he retrieved the ladder and placed it inside the cart.

"Yes!" Jeanne answered excitedly, earning a small chuckle from her mother and Roxane.

"Are you sure? We could be missing someone you know." Durand teased, as he walk over towards Butt Stallion.

Jeanne froze, thinking that maybe she had indeed missed someone and quickly turn to look at her mother with a worried look on her face. She saw her wave her free hand at her with a warm smile and her worry lessened. She then turn to look at Roxane, who's trying to conceal her chuckles behind her hand at how adorable Jeanne was and the little girl realised that everyone was on board already. Feeling completely relieved that no one had been forgotten, Jeanne's head snap towards the bandana wearing man and nodded with absolute certainty. "Yes!" She answered again, this time sounding completely confident in her answer.

The adults just laughed good naturedly at the little girl's answer. Isabelle went to stroke Jeanne's head while her face was full of smiles and Roxane just smiled at the sight. Durand got on Butt Stallion and turn his head over to look at his passengers. "Alrighty, since everyone's already on, it's time to head on home." He announced as he shot a fist up into the air.

"Yay!" Jeanne exclaimed as she mimics the man, shooting both her arms up with glee as the carriage took off with Butt Stallion dutifully pulling it along.

 **(0)**

' _One_ _week._ _To think that it_ _h_ _ad only been week_ _since th_ _at_ _tragedy_ _had_ _occurred in_ _Domrémy.'_ Jacques thought to himself as he slowly survey his surroundings, taking in the sight around him with a tired breath. Foundations of new buildings were already erected and was slowly being assembled together. The streets were clear of any debris and people were moving around without having to walk over or around a charred pile of burnt object. The fences had already been set up to prevent any wild animals from entering and causing havoc around the place while they focus on rebuilding.

All in all, everything look a whole lot better than it had been a week ago.

Jacques still couldn't help but think back to that time and a frown found it's way onto his face. His mind started to wander off as he went to help rebuilt his home, carrying thin logs over from the lumberjacks to the area where new buildings are being build. His body was moving automatically while his as his mind thought about just what had transpired during the week.

A week ago, you could see the ruin of what was once a proper and prospering village. The gate and fences that had once surrounded the place were in a sorry state. They were meant to keep wild animals from entering and giving the villagers a sense of security at night. They were not, in any way or form, made to withheld an assault from dozen of men carrying maces or swords. They were mostly torn and worn down from the assault it had endured that night. The aftermath left gaping holes where people or curious animals could easily enter if there wasn't anyone keeping watch.

A call for aid had been sent the moment they had caught wind of the bandits but it would be at least a day before the messenger would arrive depending on the weather and the condition of the road he were to travel in. He was to head towards Vaucouleurs as it was the nearest town with a battalion garrisoned within it's walls. After that, it would take a while for them to mobilize their forces to send to help them...provided that the commander didn't think it would be too late and didn't bother to sent any at all.

After the first day, there was no longer any black smoke rising from the charred remains of the destroyed buildings. The wounded that were gathered inside the church was treated as best as they could while the rest were trying to get their bearings and organizing themselves. Everyone was at full alert at all times, thinking that the bandits only retreated temporary until the rain stops. Paranoia and adrenaline did a decent job at keeping most awake at night, especially the night watch.

Morning came ever so slowly for them and it was clear that the bandits weren't coming back anytime soon, or at least they hoped that they weren't. Those who were keeping watch on the woods had their chance to sleep when others come to take their shift. Those hard working men promptly drifted off to dreamland the moment they lay down on whatever makeshift bed they could find on the church.

Many were still trying to get over the shock of their home being attacked and simply stayed in the church, unsure of how to proceed with their lives. A lot of people were staring vacantly at nothing, their minds had wandered off to lands unknown in effort to cope with their currently predicament.

But there were a few who simply was unwilling to stay idling around while their homes lay in such a state, him included. They started venturing outside to do what's necessary when the morning rays first shone through the horizon, giving them the light needed to move about without tripping over debris.

They had been was busy picking up the remains of what used to be everyone's home, clearing the debris away from the foundation so that new buildings may be erected in it's place. They didn't forget to salvage what could be salvaged in the scorched ruins but almost nothing much could be found as most were destroyed by the fire, turned into smothered charcoal.

Progress had been slow for them for during that time as they were only a few that were trying to fix things. They worked hard, uncaring of how long they had been in the field or their tired aching bodies. Who could blame them, they just wanted to keep their mind off what had happened the night before. But it proved to be a futile effort on their parts as the damaged buildings and bodies littering the street is a constant reminder of what had transpired.

Most of the villagers were still in various stages of shock back in the church and the children were mostly sleeping. The hardy men in the village who were more suited to the task of clearing debris were all too tired from the fight the night before and the night watch so they were resting. It wasn't until the sun reached it's peak did some of the villagers snapped out of their mopery and decided to help out did things started to pick up.

Buildings that were too badly burnt had to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. The corpses of the fallen were removed from the streets before the children could wake up and see the scene of carnage, placed elsewhere so they could be prepared for their burial. A complete opposite treatment were given to the bandits as they were toss unceremoniously into a large pile to be burned after being strip of their possessions. The air was filled with the stench of burnt flesh for quite some time. Thankfully, they were burnt far away from the village so that they wouldn't have to bear with the smell while they burn.

On second day, the brave men who lost their lives in defending their home and those unfortunate few who were killed during the raid were given a proper burial in a new graveyard on the outskirts of the village. Almost everyone attended the funeral save for those too injured to walk to the site themselves. No one had the heart to tell the few clueless children attending why they were being burying. It was emotionally painful to watch as a few tried to stop the men from burying their papa and mama, clutching onto their legs in effort to stop them as they cried.

The adults were doing no better themselves. It was all too hard to believe that those people have already left us, especially when they were spending their time together just the day before. But seeing them being buried was the final nail the in coffin that they are well and truly gone.

Jacques sighed as he set down the logs at the designated area, a wide open space that was once the market. It was temporary repurposed to give room for the carpenters to work on the lumber, producing the much needed wood for building. He rolled his shoulders as straighten his back and gave one of the carpenter who saw him a brief nod in greeting. The carpenter nodded back before turning his attention back at the log he was sawing, it wouldn't do if he were to saw off his own hand because he wasn't paying attention after all.

The newly appointed Elder was about to head back to collect more logs when he noticed a young lad was running up to him from a distance, waving his arm to get his attention. Jacques decided to head over to him instead of waiting for him to come over. The lad skidded to a halt when he got close enough, his hands were planted on his knees to support himself as his back was arched over. He was panting quite hard like he had just ran one round around the village before reaching him.

"Deep breaths boy." Jacques told him as he gave him a once over, trying to figure out who he was while the boy was still busy sucking in air for his abused lungs. How Roxane managed to every single person in the village is beyond him but he hopes he could managed something like that soon. He can't just keep calling everyone whose name he can't remember 'Hey' or 'You' forever now can he?

The boy took once last gasp before he straighten himself and Jacques could see that he was sweating rather heavily. Now that Jacques could see the boy's face, he's certain that he isn't anyone from the village because he couldn't remember seeing a young lad like him around before. Not to mention he had met almost every children in the past decade and watched them grow because his wife just loves kids.

Was this how Elder Roxane managed to learn everyone's names? By getting to know them while they were still wee little laddies? Was that how she managed to pile up so many blackmail materials to use when people misbehave or when she wanted something done but was too lazy to do it herself? If so then he really need to start collecting blackmail material from the kids so he could use them in the future. It would make his job a whole lot easier when something came up.

The lad before him don a fine set of clothes, befitting for something of higher standing than mere peasants but not enough to be recognized as a noble. It just shows that his family is a bit richer than normal folks. His hair was sleek brown and he have a pair of hazel eyes that shone with worry. Still, Jacques was pretty sure that he had seen him somewhere before but he just couldn't put a finger on it. The past week had been hectic so it's no surprise if he had forgotten a thing or two in the chaos.

"S-sir! Miss Hector has ask for me to retrieve you." The young boy, who seemed to be very tensed for some reason, managed to get his sentence out while only stammering once.

"Ah, I see." Jacques nodded before narrowing his eyes at the boy, slowly his size him up while trying to remember the lad's name. The boy looked about fourteen at least, a young adult by normal standards. "Had she said why?" he asked, feeling curious as to why Amelia wanted him for.

"No Sir." The boy replied promptly while shaking his head and Jacques nodded again, thinking about the many reasons why he was being called and just who the boy in front of him is.

While Jacques was busy trying to remember just who he was talking to, he was unaware that he was unintentionally causing the lad distress. The boy gulp nervously underneath Jacques' absent-minded stare because from the boy's angle, it looked like a giant was staring down at him due to how tall the man is. The silence continued on for a while and the boy was seriously considering bolting away from the intimidating giant but was stopped when the man finally spoke again. "Thank you for delivering the message...Cobert?" The man said the name with a trace of uncertainly.

The boy blinked in confusion at the name. "It's Robert actually." Robert corrected.

"Ah, right. Robert." A look of realization come across the older man's face before he chuckled sheepishly with a small smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I was hoping I could remember your name on my own but it looks like I've failed in that regard. Mind re-introducing yourself to me?" The man asked, looking rather embarrassed.

At this, Robert relaxes visibly when the man no longer looked like he was contemplating his murder and was all smiles. "It's alright Sir. With all the things you have to do lately, it's perfectly understandable that you couldn't remember me." He said, sounding very mature for someone his age. "My name is Robert de Baudricourt. I'm the newly appointed squire of Sir Jean. He thought it would be best for me to come along in order to gain some experience on the field."

' _Ah, t_ _hat explained his maturity.'_ Jacques thought. Being a squire for a knight isn't as easy as it seems. The duties of a Squire were to learn about Chivalry, the rules of Heraldry, horsemanship and practice the use of weapons and the skills required of a Knight. It's also a known fact that Knights would oftentimes bring their squires onto the battlefield during times of war to learn what it's like instead of just hearing and reading about it. Though the squires were mostly brought along so they could serve their knights by leading and tending to their horses and helping their knight to put on their armor.

It's also a known fact that while no good man would purposely attack a squire unless their just that sick and twisted in the head or wanted to kidnap them for ransom, their mortality rate was rather high as they would come under fire from hails of arrows in the battlefield. Many squires were killed doing their duty and the constant fear of dying in the field would cause any kid to grow out of their childishness at the face of the grim reality.

"Alright Robert, thanks again for telling me. I'll head over right now so why don't you go back to what you were doing before." Jacques told him as he starting walking towards the church where he knew Amelia was at.

"Yes sir." Robert saluted before running off.

As Jacques moved, his eyes landed on a few men wearing armor and wielding weapons walking past him. Soldiers they were, ones who were actually trained for combat as opposed to the militia that they have. He gave them a polite nod of acknowledgment and they did the same before marching down the path with rhythmus stomping of their boots. Jacques continued on down the way he was going, his mind thinking back to the time when the soldiers first came.

It was on the third day after the attack did help came in the form of a small group of soldiers. The ones the battalion stationed at Vaucouleur could spare and a single knight was leading them. Robert was with them, hiding safely inside their supply wagon as a precaution. Their plead for help got though and the commander arranged this group to help them repel the threat they were told of. They weren't actually expecting that the village would survive the assault of course, and was only coming to clean up the mess left behind after the assault so diseases won't spread due to all the rotting corpses littered everywhere.

When the platoon arrived at Domrémy's doorstep, they were expecting an empty village burnt to the ground and filled with corpses of those who once inhabited the place, maybe a few survivors if they're lucky. Instead, they were treated to the sight of hardworking villagers working to rebuild the place.

The leader of the platoon took it upon himself to inquire what had transpired here. He were undoubtedly surprised to learned that the bandits were repelled and haven't came back since. The feeling of surprise he had felt reached another level when he learned that the villagers had also managed to do so with minimal casualties with whatever makeshift weapons they could get their hands on. Sir Jean couldn't help but respect them after that.

Once he finally got over the fact that a tiny village managed to withheld an assault while having obviously inferior equipment and experience, he took a moment to feel awed at their accomplishments before snapping back into his stern demeanor and ordered his half troops to secure the perimeter and half to help rebuilt the village.

With armed soldiers patrolling around the place the villagers started relaxing once more and started focusing solely on fixing the place while leaving the defenses to the professionals. It was rather hard to arrange space for the soldiers during their stay here but he managed somehow. At least no one complained about having to sleep out in the open with only a makeshift roof to cover them. It was the best he could do with everywhere else obviously undergoing repairs or in ruins.

Time passes on with a somber and funereal mood hanging in the air, shrouding the village like a suffocating cloak, squeezing out the liveliness and comfort that the village once had like a giant python. But that atmosphere is fading, that much he can tell. It might take a while for the people to regain their usual vigor but it's alright, just as long as they keep it up things will return to normal. Or at least as normal as it can get after what had happened.

Jacques was nearing the church, the old structure was still standing strong as ever after the entire ordeal. Not surprising since none of the bandits ever got close to this area. He headed straight into the building, arms outstretch to push open the double doors so he could enter.

 **-0-**

The insides of the church can only be described as messy; but at least it was cleaner than what it used to be a few days ago. Jacques walked in and glanced around, feeling glad that there wasn't blood everywhere like before.

It was a certainly a horrifying sight to behold back then.

Blood spilled everywhere as the wounded was carried into the building to get their injuries treated as quickly as possible. Dozens of people were placed on the ground, laying on cloths and anything the could find to make clean beds for them. They groaned and wailed in pain due to large gashes on their body or broken limbs while those to know how to treat wounds rush about, tending to them. There were lot of shouting as people trying to instruct those who were still inexperienced on how treatment should be done.

Some men weren't so lucky and succumbed to their wounds despite the healers best efforts to save them.

The children were crying loudly as people were rushing about, confused at what's happening all around them while the adults had to ignore their cries to focus on keeping the wounded alive. Their task was made even harder because of the lack of lighting save for the ominous moon hanging in the sky.

In all honesty, the church looked more like a sacrificial altar than a place for prayers back then.

"Jacques, there you are! About time you got here. I thought I need to get you myself if you haven't show up in the next minute." Amelia called out to him as she limped slightly over to him from further inside the church, a displeased frown was evident on her face. The wound on her leg may be closed but it's still not fully healed yet. Roxane estimated that it would be weeks before she could walk properly and shouldn't push herself too hard least she strain herself. Of course, the warning was mostly ignored by the redhead as she insisted that she could help out in the church and look after the wounded.

The women in the village are all stubborn once they set their minds on something. It's almost like a curse or something. He hoped that his little Jeanne doesn't become like that when she grows up one day.

The brown haired man turn to face the approaching woman and he immediately understood why she wanted him to come over when his eyes landed on her.

Being cradled in the woman's arms was a small infant. She was wrapped in clean cloth to keep her warm and offer some protection from the wind. The baby was flailing her limbs around and undoing the bindings of her cover as she wailed at the top of her lungs with tears streaking down her face and staining her cheeks wet.

Looking back at the redhead, he could see that the woman was very tired and stressed. The bags under her eyes told him that she hadn't been sleeping well lately. The sight came as no surprise to him as Amelia had been looking after Catherine whenever she could and add to the fact that she also helps with the wounded, sleep is a rare thing for her during the entire week. He's rather worried that she might faint from overdoing herself.

He hurriedly make his way over towards the woman least she fall from exhaustion. "Here, let me." He said as he held his arms out to carry the baby for her. Amelia just gave a slight nod and carefully passes the infant over to the older man. Jacques carried Catherine in his arms like he would with his own children back when they were the babe's age. With the faint panic and ever so protective hold that a father would have when they're holding their own children for the first time. Even after having three kids and taking care of them until they were too big for him to hold; carrying Catherine, or any infant for that matter, still gave him a brief scare that he might drop the child if he as much as relaxes with her in his arm.

Thankfully, he didn't when she was passed over and Catherine fit snugly in his arms as he gently rocked her while she continued to cry. "How long has seen been crying?" The man asked as he look at the sobbing infant.

"An hour at most." Amelia answered tiredly. "She's been like that for an entire week now and nothing I do could get her to stop."

Jacques sighed as he continued rocking the child, hoping that the swaying motion would calm her down.

Catherine just won't stop crying. That's what the little girl had been doing ever since everything was over. The cause wasn't hunger as she continued to cry even after they fed her and needing a change was out of the question as her diapers were still fresh.

It didn't take long for Roxane to point out to them that Catherine's outburst was a child yearning for her parents. It would be as simple as handing Catherine over to them to pacify her but they all knew that such a thing wouldn't be possible. They had laid Catherine's parents to rest themselves after all.

"If only Anne or Henry were here…." Jacques lowered his head as he thought of the fate that befell the young child's parents, a look of guilt flashed across his face. If it were them holding onto Catherine then their presence should be all that is needed to make her feel safe again.

Anne Randall and her children apparently tried to escape to the church but was caught by one or some of the attackers that managed to enter the village in the streets. No one knows what really happened that night, only that she died to a sword wound to her chest. They had guessed that she tried to fend them off so that her children to escape. And Henry….If only he had moved instead of standing shock still when he saw a spear being thrust his way… Henry wouldn't have had to push him and took his place. It had not been a quick death for the man.

There was nothing Jacques could do back then to save him as Henry's lung had been punctured and was slowly being filled with his own blood. It had been agonizing to watch his old friend slowly bled out in his arms. All Jacques could do was nod in tears as Henry ask him to look after his family for him.

He felt a hand resting on his shoulder, causing him look over and saw Amelia there with a concern expression on her face.

"Jacques, it's not your fault." Amelia tried to reassure him, sorrow washed over her features as the memories of her late friends resurfaced in her mind. Jacques looked away, unable to meet the woman in the eye as he continue to rock the child in his arm. Even if she had said that, even if Henry himself told him that he didn't blame him in his last moments, the feeling of guilt just won't leave him.

The two lapse into silence, only accompanied by Catherine's cries and occasional groans and moans coming from the sickbeds.

"How are the others?" Jacques asked, clearing wanting to change the subject.

Sensing the man desire, Amelia complied and answered. "Thanks to miss Lalande arriving to help in time, they'll all pull though. They just need time for the wounds to heal before they could get back on their feet."

"I see. That's good." Jacques nodded, feeling relieved that no one else will die due to their injuries. "Now we just have to find a way to pacify Catherine." The elder eyed the crying child wearily, no amount of rocking seem to sooth her at all.

"Maybe take Catherine to Alex? I can take her there if you wan." The two adults heard someone suggested timidly from the side and they shift their attention towards whoever it was that had spoken. Elena was standing beside them, blushing sheepishly that she in intruded in their conversation and quickly look down to her feet as she shuffled them.

The child looked like she had seen better days and that's not far off from the truth. The usual bright aura that accompanies her was nowhere in sight, her fiery red hair had dirt and grime stuck in them while her dress was a mess and she had bags under her eyes, a clear indication that she hadn't been sleeping well. Seeing her like that sent pangs of sadness throughout Jacques' heart.

Both of the adults to look back at each other. When their eyes met, they both understood what the other was thinking without needing to say too much. The first time they had bought Catherine to her brother the infant mysteriously quiet down as she got near him. She had even slept peacefully for the first time too. But as much as it hurts for them to admit it, they both know that option won't be viable very soon and they can't keep relying on it.

While Elena's suggestion does prove to be a good one, they also have a feeling that she seem to have her own motive for suggestion such. She was most likely looking for a chance to visit her friend, like she always have for the past week. Letting their children met with Alex is something that the adults all agreed that's best avoided but they just don't have the heart to deny their request to visit their friend.

The first time they brought Alex's friends to see him, the girls broke down crying when they saw him laying unresponsive in bed and rushed to his side, begging for him to wake up while the boys just stood awkwardly by the side, unsure of what to do. Thankfully, Roxane had already finished dressing his wounds so they never saw what he was like when Roxane first brought him in. They dread to imagine just what kind of reaction the girls would have had they saw him in that bloodied state.

"Elena," her mother called to her softly as she made way over to her daughter. The older woman knelt down and place her hands on the child's cheeks, gently lifting her head so that their eyes would met. "Of course you can but I don't think you're in any condition to be carrying Catherine around right now."

Elena just nodded silently. She had been worried sick about him after seeing him the first time and terribly afraid that he wouldn't wake up; added to the fact that some of her close friends went missing after the raid, it's not wonder she wanted to stay by his side to ensure he wouldn't leave her too. "Will Alex ever wake up?" Her voice cracked at the very end as she look into her mother's eyes tearily.

Amelia winched at her daughter's question. She had been expecting it for a while now but she still didn't know what to say to Elena regarding that particular topic.

There was a reason why the adults were so keen to prevent their kids from seeing Alex at first. He's not going to make it, it's as simple as that. They didn't want their children to watch their friend waste away like that. They thought that by letting them stay with him will only cause them more grieve when he finally passes on. But in the end, they relented to their request and let them met. It would be cruel for them to prevent their children from seeing Alex. After all, they might no have the chance to do so anymore.

After the events of that night, Roxane had told them that she had found Alex and Catherine in the streets. According to her he had encountered one of the attackers on his way to the church. The boy managed to escape from his pursuer but was injured in the process while Catherine was unharmed. They were quickly taken to the old woman's home so they would be safe during the attack.

The adults went to see the children of their late friends the morning after while their own kids were still sleeping, they were feeling very worried for them and wondering if they were alright. Truth be told, they were quite alarmed to hear that Alex had been injured but relieved that he was alive. They were feeling optimistic that Alex would be fine and wound bounce right back after a few days like he always had when he got hurt when he was playing.

That optimism died when they saw him. Roxane had not told them the extent of his injuries before they visit and had yet to clean up the mess left behind after treating his wounds.

They were unsure how the boy was still breathing in that state. They had thought his injuries only amount of scrap and bruises, not looking like he had been ram against a hard surface repeatedly. His right arm seem to have taken the brunt of the damage that was inflicted onto him as it was wrapped up tightly in layers upon layers of bandages. Roxane said he's lucky that it still managed to retain it's shape. He has also gone into a deep slumber, showing no signs of awakening anytime soon.

Roxane told them not to hope too much as even with her medical expertise, all she could do was delay the inevitable. She told them that if he doesn't wake up soon then death is inevitable. The news caused everyone distress but the could do nothing more than wait. They feeling hopeful that he would wake up after a while...but he never did and that hope is slowly waning as each day passes.

"I'm sure he will." Amelia lied with a winch, unable to tell her daughter the truth while trying to make her feel better. Being the child that she is, Elena believed her mother and smiled at her with a nod, causing the older woman to feel an immense sense of guilt weighing her heart. "Come on then, I suppose Uncle Jacques here can take you there. He is heading there himself after all." Amelia eyed the man with a meaningful gaze and he nodded.

"Alright kiddo, follow me. We'll need to get there as soon as possible if we want Catherine to stop crying herself to sleep all the time." He jerked his head towards the exit and Elena quickly move to his side, missing the thankful look her mother was sending Jacques. "Thank you for taking care of Catherine Amelia and get some rest please. You don't want Gilbert to worry himself to the point where he wounds reopened."

Amelia snorted with a roll of her eyes. "Oh please, I'll be fine. It's him that I need to worry about. What kind of idiot tries to work with broken ribs."

With a small chuckle, Jacques made way out of the church with Elena following closely behind as she told her mother that she was heading out with a wave.

Coincidentally, they met the four that were at the graveyard on their way there and Isabelle decided to take Catherine and the girls to see Alex while Jacques was forced to go back to manage the village by Roxane. The man reluctantly return back to his duties with Durand following him to see if he could help out in any way, patting the new Elder on the back to cheer him up.

 **(0)**

Roxane slowly opened the door to her home as the two child stood closely by the side. Isabelle was holding on to Catherine behind her, rocking the baby gently as her cries started to quiet down into soft sobs. With the door opened the two girls quickly ran inside, heading towards the only room she knew they would go as Isabelle shouted for them not to run. There was a shout of sorry coming from inside the building, most likely from Elena, before the sound of people running was replaced with shuffling footsteps as the children inside walked towards their destination upstairs in a brisk pace.

Roxane watched the kids go before she entered her home, leaving the entrance open so that Isabelle could enter herself. The mother of three closes the door behind her and excuses herself politely so she could be with the girls to ensure that they won't be too loud in the room Alex is in, leaving the old lady by herself by the entrance.

The old woman then made way back to her favorite chair by the fireplace and sat down there to rest her tired bones. She let loose a sigh of relief the moment she laid against it and made herself comfortable. While her body was resting from all the exertion it had gone through this past week alone, her mind was not.

Again, she found herself thinking back to that night. She knew thinking about it won't do anything to change the outcome but her mind still thought back to that night in the forest. Her golems managed to eliminate them all, leaving no survivors to tell the tale but failed to reach the hostages in time. Those bulky clumps of rock just didn't have the speed necessary to chase down that wagon.

All those people...lost. Who knows what kind of fate would befall them at the mercy of those scums. She has no way to track them down back then as she was already stretched thin. Her Prana was utterly spent from using so many spells in one go. Summoning all those golems didn't do her reserves any favors either. It was a good thing she could tap into the ley line and use that to power her summons; otherwise she doubt she could call forth that many golems without dying. Even after a week of rest, her entire left side still felt numb, a common side effect from overusing one's magic circuits.

Roxane sighed, something she had been doing a lot lately since the attack and closed her eyes. Maybe she should get some sleep while she can. God knows that she hadn't been getting proper rest in a while. She laid the back of her head against the wooden frame of her chair and took calming breaths as she tries to rest.

Jacques and Isabelle had choose to adopt the Randall kids after learning of their parents demise, something Roxane agreed to be a right choice as a child shouldn't grow up without a family. She knows that those two will treat the poor children like their own and shower them with the same love and support they shower their own children with. They certainly won't be left out in any way when they're with them. Whether or not they would let Catherine keep her family name is still debatable as the d'Arcs still couldn't quite decide if they should change it.

They thought that by keeping it, they could honor their late friends but on the other hand, Catherine might feel like an outsider in the family when she grew older when she realize she has a different last name than the rest of her family.

But at least for now, they didn't have to worry about Catherine growing up with no one to look out for her.

Alex however...

Some were still hopeful for his recovery but she knew that the boy was in his deathbed. She had told them a week ago that if he doesn't wake up soon, he would either die from either thirst or starvation. She gave the boy a three days at best before he passed away but that seven days ago and the boy still managed to remain in the world of the living. It's a very impressive feat considering how old he is. But as time passed, everyone could see how badly his body was deteriorating. His skin became paler and paler each day as his body had thinned to the point where they could see his bones. He looked almost like a corpse and people would've mistook him as one had his chest not been rising and falling.

There had been suggestions from others to feed him themselves but Roxane put an end to that idea rather swiftly. It's ill advisable to force feed a comatose patient as the food or water could enter the wrong hole and fill up his lungs. She didn't need them stopping his breathing when it's the only thing keeping him alive at this point.

Even if he did wake up now, it would be no use. His body has already deteriorated to the point where it couldn't keep up any longer. She had checked him over plenty of times, through normal and magical means and she could tell that today would be his last day. He had done well to stay alive for this long…

Roxane could only dread the aftermath of his passing and when his friends learned of it. If he had woken up a day or two earlier than there might be a chance for recovery, albeit a very small one. Now though, it would be better if he never woke up instead and pass away peacefully in his sleep.

The weary old woman just sighed again. As much as she wished she had a way to save the boy she couldn't. She's not well versed in healing magic and her medical knowledge was only something she had picked up along her travels to treat scraps and cuts gained in fights. And as expected, there was nothing among that pile of amassed medical knowledge that could wake a comatose person. She doesn't even know what caused it in the first place, let alone cure it. From what she could tell, it's like something is stopping him from waking up but she just doesn't know what. It would take a miracle to save Alex now….

It took a while but Roxane finally managed to drift off and entered Morpheus' embrace.

 **(0)**

"Here we are." Isabelle told the two young girls following her as they stopped by a wooden door on the second floor of the Roxane's home. Minding the infant in her arms, the blond woman carefully turn around to look at the children that were following her and could easily see the tense expressions on their faces.

They're both anxious to see Alex again, that much she can tell. "Remember, when we enter you need to be as quiet as you can alright?" Isabelle gently reminded the two just like before. The two girls nodded while Jeanne held her hands over her mouth.

Isabelle smiled slightly and opened the door for the girls to enter. They both quickly dart inside the moment there was a large enough gap for them to slip though with Jeanne being in the lead. The room the girls had entered was rather small and somewhat barren save for the large bed that was placed against the wall on the right side of the room near the windows with a single nightstand by it's side. There was also a bookshelf with some books on the left but there's all there is in the room.

When Isabelle had entered the room herself, both the girls were already by the bedside that had a single boy laying in deep slumber, completely unresponsive to the world around him. Elena already had a worried and sadden frown on her face when she saw him and she could tell just why when her eyes landed on the subject of their visit.

Isabelle really have no better words to describe what he looked like right now. It was like staring at a slowly decaying corpse. The boy's complexion seem to be paler than yesterday's; his cheeks had sunken to the point where you could almost make out the shape of his skull. He had a blanket covering him that reaches to his chest but she could still see the state of his body. It had thinned considerably and she could easily see his bones. Isabelle couldn't help but think that it's a miracle and a curse that Alex is still alive at this point. The former because he managed to hold on for this long and the later because they could only watch as he continue to waste away with the chance of him awakening growing slimmer and slimmer with each passing day.

After listening to Roxane explain just how badly his body had become overtime, Isabelle couldn't help but face the truth before her. Alex is going to die, no matter how hard they wishes otherwise. She couldn't bring herself to tell that to the girls whom were in the room with her, still hoping with all their hearts that their friend would wake up.

"Hey Alex, are you going to wake up soon?" Elena cup her hands over her mouth and whispers at the sleeping boy's ear while Jeanne watches with anticipation as her hands clutches the helm of her dress tightly. They have been doing this every time they come over to visit him, each time hoping for a reaction from the boy but none ever came. Isabelle moved towards the other side of the bed, patting Catherine on her back as she shifts restlessly in her arms. At least the child is no longer crying.

The girls both waited for any sort of response but as the seconds tick pass, Elena's expression became more crestfallen while Jeanne's still remained hopeful. Isabelle place the infant on the bed next to her brother, not close enough that she would touch his injured arm but not far enough that Catherine couldn't feel his presence. Isabelle didn't know how but Catherine seem to be able to tell whether or not her brother was near.

Isabelle noticed that the child has already started to relax after she had set her down. No doubt already sensing her brother nearby. Isabelle let loose a weary sigh and relaxed herself after seeing that. She really didn't know how much longer she could last if the baby kept on crying. She could only dread the day where they could no longer use Alex's presence to calm Catherine down when he passed away.

It's a painful thing to do, watching someone you know wither away and not being able to do anything about it.

They all stayed in the room in silence for a while. Isabelle was making sure Catherine falls asleep; Jeanne was just staring at Alex, looking for any kind of reaction from him while Elena had a very contemplating look on her face. "He's not going to wake up is he, auntie?" Elena suddenly asked her from her side of the bed. Isabelle turn to look at her and saw her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Elena would be the one who would be affected the most from his passing. Out of everyone that knew Alex, she knew him the longest. The two had been together since they were born after all.

Elena had already lost a few friends during the attack, some died and others were missing. The young girl had already change a lot since that night. She became very quiet and had started avoiding people her age and only stick to those that she knew. It's almost like she wanted to avoid making any more friends to avoid being hurt further if they suddenly disappeared. If Alex died Elena might become completely reclusive and lock herself away.

Isabelle move over towards the redhead, knelt down and pull her into a gentle hug. "We can only hope." She told her with a grim expression on her face as she stoke the girl's head. Elena just wrapped her arms around her and nodded stiffly against her chest before letting out a soft sniffle.

Isabelle tried her best to calm the girl down. She already had to deal with Catherine crying the entire way towards Roxane's home. She's not sure if she could deal with Elena crying too and not to mention it might wake Catherine up as well.

"I don't wanna lose Alex as well." She sniveled.

Isabelle could only hold the girl tightly. She knew telling her that everything would be alright and he would wake up wouldn't work. That lie is something she couldn't bring herself to tell. She probably wouldn't be able to sound convincing enough if she did, not to mention Elena could tell it was a lie as well. Isabelle knew that somewhere deep inside her Elena knew that her friend was going to leave her but she just couldn't bring herself to face it and instead cling to the every fading hope that he would wake up and everything would be alright.

They both felt a tiny impact coming from behind Elena and they both turn to look at what it was. Isabelle saw that her daughter had lunch herself towards her friend and hugged her from behind, as if trying to make her feel better. Elena just looked at her friend with tears siding down from her eyes.

"Ish, okay E-lena." Jeanne look up and told her friend with resolution shinning in those amethyst eyes of her. "Ah-lek ish strong!" she stated with a big nod. Jeanne was the only one who's faith in her friend remained completely unwavering. She truly believes that Alex would wake up even after seeing his condition worsen rapidly before her eyes.

Elena let go of Isabelle and wipe her tear streaked face before hugging Jeanne back, burying her face in her hair and Jeanne just squirmed ticklishly in her grasp. "Yes, you're right Jeanne. Alex is strong...he won't let something like this keep him down." Elena muttered, trying to sound hopeful and Jeanne just nodded in confirmation with a bright smile. The redhead let go of the little blond and slap herself on her cheeks. Jeanne just watched in confusion as to why she did that and Elena just shook her head rapidly like she would if she wanted to get water out of her hair. When she stopped Elena's expression seem to have regained some of her previous vigor and she smiled at the little blond but Isabelle could tell that it's a bit forced. "We have lots to tell him when he wakes up don't we Jeanne?"

"Un." her daughter let out with a nod before turning to face her, a look of pure determination on her face. "Mama, ima wanna try it."

Isabelle blinked, unsure of what she meant for a brief moment before a look of realization dawn upon her. "Sure thing hon." Isabelle told her and got up from her kneeling position while Elena just looked confused because she didn't know what was going on.

"It?" Elena asked.

"Just something Jeanne had been practicing for a while now." Isabelle answered her, earning a look of understanding from the child before turning back to her daughter. "Do you want to do it alone or do you need my help?"

Jeanne just shook her head, indicating that she wanted to do it alone. "Very well then. I suppose I should give you some privacy." Isabelle told her with a small smile as she went to pick up Catherine, noting that the baby was already fast asleep. "Elena, do you want to stay with Jeanne while she prays? You could join her if you'd like." She asked the redhead when the baby was in her arms.

Elena's face scrunched at the thought. She never really liked the praying. She never understood why her mother would take her there to the church every once in a while just so they could kneel on the ground just to say somethings. All she know is that her and staying still just doesn't get along very well. The redhead quickly shook her head in response to Isabelle's suggestion.

Isabelle just chucked at the child's reaction as she knew just how much she loathed being still. "Very well then. Do you want to come with me downstairs for now?" She asked the redhead and she nodded. Isabelle then walk over to her daughter and crouch down to her level. She uses her free hand to pull her daughter in and give her a quick smooch on top of her forehead. "You'll do just fine Jeanne, you don't have to worry about anything. Just have faith in yourself." She told her, trying to encourage her daughter the best she could, before letting go.

"Kay." Jeanne replied and quickly move towards the bedside once more.

Elena took another look at her longtime friend, hoping that he would rouse from his slumber now and was disappointed when he didn't. She just looked down sadly and walked towards the door with Isabelle. The older woman opened the door for her to walk through before heading out herself. Isabelle wanted to closed the door behind her but not before taking a peek at Jeanne. Although she could only see her daughter's backside she could see that Jeanne was hesitating and just stood by Alex's side.

"Jeanne." Isabelle called out from the door, earning her daughter's panicked reaction as she jumped slightly in place before hastily turning around. "Remember, you won't have to worry about getting it wrong the first time." She told her. "Just do what you always do okay?"

Jeanne slightly tilt her head towards the side before nodding. Isabelle just smiled and close the door, leaving Jeanne all alone with the sleeping male.

 **(0)**

Jeanne turned back to her friend after her mother left, looking at his ghastly face with determination shinning in her eyes. She started with kneeling down on the floor a few inches away from left side of the bed. Her hand clasped together in a gesture of prayer, as she shift her body around to be as comfortable as she could.

She was about to start but felt that something was missing. She raked her brain to think of what until she realized that she wanted to make sure that her prayers could be heard by Alex instead of God alone so he would know that she's here with him. If he could hear her then he would know that everyone is still waiting for him to wake up. So far, every time she tried talking to him he never seem to react so she thought he couldn't hear her at all.

Her childish mind then thought if she was touching him then she could transfer the words that she wanted to say to him like that and proceeds to stick her hand into the blanket that's covering him.

She took out his uninjured hand from the blanket, not really repulsed or frightened when she saw that his hand had grown smaller and more bony then she remembered. It looked like all the meat on his arm was gone and the skin was rough and dry.

He is her friend, one that she had known since she was a little babe. He'd always be with her whenever he could, either to play with her or look after her when they're together. Something like this wouldn't frightened her away from someone who has only ever been kind to her.

She gently clasp her hand around his and pulled his hand towards her forehead, pressing his hand against it and closed her eyes. She could feel the familiar warmth coming from his hand, one that she always felt whenever he held her hand as they walked together. She took a deep breath and thought about all she knew about her friend. "O-our Father who art in hay-van." She began with a shutter and berated herself mentally for messing up so soon already but the young girl persevere without pause.

"Ah konfess mah need for you todey." Alex had been a constant companion in her life for as long as she had known him. From what she her family had told her, the raven haired male had come to visit her practically everyday when she was still a babe.

Despite not being able to remember any of the things during her infant years, she do remember feeling warm and protected from time to time. She gets a familiar sense of love and security when being with her family but the one she felt during those times were different from how she felt when she's all cuddled up with her parents. She still get that feeling even now and at some point in her life, she had discovered that it came from being with Alex.

She didn't know why she would feel that way when she was with her him but she didn't cared all that much. It's like Alex is watching over her like a guardian angel whenever they go out to play together. Mum had told her that she never really cried a lot whenever Alex is around and she really likes being all snugged up with him, feeling completely warm and safe. Somehow, she just knew that the boy would never let any harm come to her when he's around.

"P-plwese, make Ah-lek bettar for-from his in-jaries." She prayed really hard. Her face was scrunched up as she put in her upmost effort into her thoughts, thinking that she could channel some sort of telepathic energy to reach God if she tried hard enough.

She hope her heartfelt wish could reach him and he would take the time to make her friend better. He's very precious to her. The time they had spent together were always fun and she always enjoyed them to the fullest.

"He ish a gud person."

Jeanne kept Alex in her thoughts, thinking that God could see her what's in her mind so he could see just what kind of person Alex is. It might convince him to help her friend if she thought about all the positive things about Alex.

Alex, despite being only two years older than her, is a very reliable person and likes to act as her unofficial forth older brother. Whenever there's a problem that came up when they're together, Alex would most likely be the first one to come with a solution to solve it.

Like the time they forgot to bring something along when they head out to play, he would be able to make something from the things around them to replace it or when they wanted to reach somewhere but weren't able to, Alex will point out a way to reach it that they would never thought of in the first place.

Jeanne thinks it's like a superpower that he has because he always solve their problems quite easily. She had asked him how he knows all these things and he answered her quite playfully with a poke on her nose and a smile on his face as he told her he's just that awesome. Jeanne doesn't know what awesome meant but she assumed that it meant something good. But even with his superpower, there are some things Alex can't solve himself but that didn't stop him from trying.

Her brothers weren't as effective at dealing with a problem like Alex but it didn't make her think any less of them. She loves them all as well but she just prefer to go to Alex first before going to her other brothers. Alex's way of solving things is always more fun and interesting.

"Kind, and gentle, and vey-ry carrring." Truly, that's all Alex had ever been to her. He would always give her hugs and would pet her. If she did something bad or made a mistake, he wouldn't get mad or annoyed at her and would explain why what she did was wrong in his ever so gentle voice. He would even help her fix her mess afterwards. It never fails to make her feel bad that she caused a mess for him so she usually tries her best to behave.

She treasures the times where she could sleep on his lap, all curled up and comfortably warm. Sometimes when she does so, he would hum a lullaby or catchy songs for her to help her sleep faster.

Her friend didn't deserve to go though this. In fact, no one in her hometown deserve to suffer though all the loss and pain caused by that night.

"He did nathing wr-rong."

Among all the things that she remember of him, Alex also has many weird habits that she had noticed throughout the time they had spent together. He would often gnaw on his nail whenever he got too deep into thinking and ignore everything else around him and would mutter unintelligible things to himself. He also likes to chuckle all by himself from time to time, like he'd just make a joke that only he himself could understand.

While those habits of his were amusing to her, there was one thing that he would do that would make her sad without fail.

It's usually when he's alone or thinks that there's no one's looking; he would have a look on his face without any reason. He just looked so afraid and crestfallen. She doesn't know why he would make that face but she would give him a hug immediately when she saw him like that. She didn't like it when he's sad and hugs always do make him smile.

Still, the sadness she had felt back then couldn't even compare to how she's feeling now. Seeing him laying on the bed so motionlessly, hurt and dying ever so slowly. It made her heart wrench in pain, like something cold had wrapped itself around it and tried to squeeze it till it pop. But she didn't cry, Alex called her a strong girl so she wouldn't cry. She have to be strong for Alex and Elena as well.

With her eyes closed tightly and her attention solely focused on her prayer, she didn't notice how Alex's body seem to twitched as it emits faint golden light particles all over him.

"S-so, if yu can, plwese halp him."

Just thinking about all the things that they have done together made her realize that if he doesn't get any better then she would lose him. He would die and they would have to bury him, just like everyone else that died. She understood well enough that if that happened then she would never get to see him do all those quirky things of his again; never to feel his gentle touch as he pats her head to praise her; never to feel his warmth when they held hands as they walk together and never to feel his comforting presence as he keep her company.

Tears started to well up in her eyes as she thought of what life would be like without him and she tries her best to hold them back.

"A-Ah-lex, pl-please wake up." Her words then were no longer directed to the God she was prying to, rather, it was directed to the boy that she so desperately wanted to see again. "Ah miss yu." she said with a sniffle.

Jeanne immediately snapped her eyes open when something unexpected happened. Just right as she finished saying those words, she could felt something curl around her hand weakly. She slowly move her hand away from her forehead and hold it down to eye level so she could see. She could feel her heart soar in surprise and excitement when she saw the hand she's holding onto was weakly gripping back at hers.

She was almost afraid to look at Alex, fearing that she was just imagining it and the boy was still deep in slumber but she did it anyway. Those amethyst eyes of hers widen considerably and she squeeze them shut again and the tears that had been building up finally leaked free and slid down her cheeks smoothly. Rather than tears leaking of sadness, they were tears of relief. She could feel her own lips quivering as the edges slowly tug up into a smile as she opened her eyes again.

When she did, She was greeted with the sight of a pair of hazy half-lidded blue eyes that were looking at her and a weak smile adorning his lips. Those lips slowly parted as if to speak but no sound came out. Jeanne was confused when he tried to speak but couldn't, only managing to force out a weak croak from his throat. Then his face contorted in a grimace of pain that cause Jeanne to worry for him while he visibly put in effort to swallow some of his saliva while his body shifted slightly. In a few scant seconds afterward, his entire body relaxes and he just lay still on the bed with his eyes closed.

Jeanne quickly stood up and bought his hand towards her chest with her grip tightening fearfully. She thought that Alex's awakening was only momentarily and he just fell back to a deep slumber again. Her fears were laid to rest when a lone blue eye pry opened slightly to look at her. His lips parted again and this time he managed to say something, causing her to beam brightly for the first time since everything happened. "F..ive...mo..re… mini..tes..." he forced out hoarsely with a cheeky smile on his face. It's the same thing he would always say whenever she woke him up if he were napping, cementing the fact for the young blond that Alex is well and truly awake.

Jeanne release one hand from her hold to wipe away the tears sliding down her cheeks. "No," she replied as she shook her head, still smiling like she'd just received the best gift in the world. "Yu been sleeping fo to long."

Alex's lips just twitched at that before taking a deep breath. "Guess...so..." He murmured tiredly and it was then did the door to the room swing open with such force that it slammed against the wall very loudly, startling the poor blond as she yelped in fright and let go of his hand.

Both the occupant in the room turn to the door and saw none other than the owner of the house standing there with a look of surprise plastered on her face.

 **(** **0** **)**

Roxane was having a dreamless sleep for once, one that she gladly welcomed as her dreams had been wrought with nothing but nightmares ever since that night, reminding her of her failures to protect her home. She was quite enjoying her sleep as well but sadly, the God of sleep and dreams didn't seem to be favoring her all that much today either.

She woke up as she felt a surge of magical energy that came out of nowhere. The old woman immediately sprung back onto her feet, eyes wide in alarm.

' _What in the world!?'_ The old woman quickly looked around to see what was going on. It hasn't been that long since she doze off and something had already happened. Roxane's eyes narrowed in concern, trying to discern just what it was that she felt. It's certainly no hostile attack as things usually explode when a Magus fight. So far, her walls were still intact and there was no signs of any attackers so she could cross that out of her list and she breath a sigh of relief as she did so. She really wasn't in any condition to fend off any enemy attacks at the moment so she's rather glad that she didn't have to.

Now that she thought about it, it had been years since she had last saw another Magi and she doubt any knew where she resides nor had any grudge to settle with her.

Now that the old woman was a lot less panicky, she could take the time to properly pinpoint where the energy came from. Her brows furrow in confusion as she discovered that the surge of magical energy came from the room above her, meaning that it's the room Alex was in. Knowing that, questions started to form in her mind. Why was there a violent surge of energy coming from his room? Was he the one who emitted it? This had never happened before during the entire week he had been here but for something to happen now…

Fearing the worst, she quickly rushed towards the stairs, uncaring of how her body was reacting to her sudden activity.

She reached the top and into the hallway in with rooms on the side in less than a minute. Isabelle was there, walking towards the stairs, apparently heading ready to head down while holding onto a peacefully sleeping Catherine. Elena was following her, looking rather downhearted like she always does after she visited Alex. Nothing seem out of the ordinary with them so Roxane assumed that they didn't saw what caused the surge but still, it's safer to ask them if they had noticed anything later. Oddly enough, Roxane noticed that Jeanne wasn't with them.

Both the girls was surprised when they saw Roxane. Why wouldn't they be when an old woman suddenly came rushing up the stairs, especially when she's already pushing past her sixties.

"Eld- Miss Lalande!? What's going on? Why are you running up the stairs!?" Isabelle cried out in horror when she saw the old woman moving past them at a rapid pace and down the hall.

Roxane ignored them as head straight to the room Alex was in. She swung open the door without thinking, causing to to slam against the wall as she look inside the room.

What she saw was something she had never thought to be possible.

Alex was awake.

What's more is that he seem healthier than how he was before as she noted that the colour of his skin was slowly returning and some of his weight had been restored. She really didn't need to think all that much as to how he's suddenly awake and got better since the pulse of Prana she had felt was the only explanation. The question is how and why did it happen?

Her gaze shifted to Jeanne, who had let out a frightful yelp when she entered and was looking at her with confusion in her eyes. The girl didn't look any different nor could she sense anything out of the ordinary from her. She would've turn her attention back to the boy but the girl might saw something that lead to his recovery.

But before Roxane could ask the girl if she saw anything, she was interrupted when the two who she had left behind in the hallway caught up to her. "Miss Roxane, what on earth would possess you to-" Isabelle started but stopped short when she looked into the room and saw Alex awake. "My word..." Isabelle breathed out as her hand found itself covering her mouth and her eyes widening at the sight of the raven haired boy looking at her. She seem to be having trouble believing what she's seeing if her reaction if anything to go by.

Then came the other one when she finally pushed past the adults blocking the entrance to the room to see just what's going on. "Alex!" Elena immediately cried out when she saw her friend with his eyes opened and staring at the group at the entrance with a one eyebrow raised.

The redhead just charged straight into the room and towards her friend, clearly intending to give him a hug if the outstretched arms is any indication. She never managed to get close to him however as she found herself lifted off her feet. The redhead looked confused and why she was floating in the air instead of getting closer to her friend and turn her head around to see that Roxane had picked her up by her collar.

"Hold it right there young lady. We don't need you to give him a bone crushing hug and sent him back to the land of sleep just mere moments after he had awoken. I don't think he'd be so lucky to wake up again if that ever happened." Roxane warned the girl, earning a displeased pout from her as she tries to escape from her grasp.

Roxane turn her gaze back to the boy as she put the girl down. Elena quickly rushed towards him and stopped by the bed instead of jumping him, something Roxane is grateful for. "Alex! You're finally awake! Do you know how long you have been sleeping there's just so much that had happened while you were-" Elena immediately ranted off when she got to his side, firing off a long steam of words without pause as she told him all those things that had been pent up inside her that she's been dying to tell him.

Everyone could tell just how relieved Elena was as she's speaks with tears slide down her cheeks and a smile on her face. Alex had a blank look on his face as Elena rattled off, the same way he always does as he pretended to be listening whenever Elena went off on a talking spree while Jeanne was just smiling happily at the familiar sight.

"Alright, settle down Elena. You're talking too fast for anyone to catch what you're saying. Alex probably couldn't even understand most of what came out of your mouth when you spoke that fast. He'd also just woken up too so don't cause him so much problem already." Roxane approached the kids and place a hand on Elena's shoulder to stop her before Alex decided that sleep is a more preferable choice than having to sit though one of Elena's moments. The girl did and had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed and give off a sheepish chuckle as she looks down on her feet while poking her index fingers together.

Roxane move to sit on Alex's bed and look at the boy in the eye. His eyes still look rather unfocused as he look at her, like he's fading in and out of conciseness. "Alex, may I check your pulse?" the old woman requested and the boy nodded after a few seconds, probably trying to register what she had said. The three in the room with her looked on with interested as she took his hand into hers and place both her index and middle finger on his wrist.

Check his pulse was actually a guise that she's using as she's actually using structural analysis on him to see what had happened to him. The old woman was surprise to find that his organs and body that were previously failing had recovered to the point where full recovery is possible. The way he is now, he's in no danger of dying. "Well this is a pleasant surprise. It looks like you're going to be just fine my boy. We just need to make sure you eat and drink so your body would recover."

"Miss Roxane, how is this possible? I thought you said-" Isabelle began to ask but was cut off by Roxane.

"Yes, I'm quite aware of what I've said Isabelle." The old woman told her with a contemplating look on her face. "The only explanation I have for this is that it's a god given miracle." She told the blond lady as she let go of Alex's hand and turn to look at the younger blond. She'll need to find out how Alex recovered the way he did and Jeanne was the only one in the room with him at the time. She's not sure if something would happen again and she'd rather not be caught in surprise if it did. She'd ask Jeanne if she had seen anything but now is not the time.

Roxane stood up from the bed and address everyone in the room as she clapped her hands together to get their attention. "Alright, everybody out. The boy needs some peace and quiet and we need to make something for him to eat and drink so he doesn't die from starvation and dehydration, preferably porridge with warm milk. You girls can help too if you want." At that, both the girls looked quite motivated and nodded their heads.

Isabelle still looked very concern for the boy but otherwise nodded as the older woman is the more experience one in the room and she trusts her implicitly.

Roxane turn to the groggy looking Alex, giving him another look over before telling him that he shouldn't exert himself and do his best not to fall asleep again before he eat something so his body could recover. He's gone without eating for too long already and she'd rather not put that on hold any longer than necessary. The boy nodded in response but otherwise remained quiet, not surprising as he's still in a very weak state. Afterwards, the old woman herd the girls in the room outside so Alex could actually have some peace and quiet.

The old woman looked back into the room as she walked out the door to see how Alex was doing. The boy just looked rather out of it as he lay there but at least he's still awake. Knowing him, he'd probably try to move around as soon as no one's keeping an eye on him. "Boy, please don't do anything stupid like trying to move around on your own." She told him, earning a flat stare from Alex before he finally gave her another nod.

Roxane gave him a satisfied smile before closing the door. Then she usher the rest down the hall so they could get started at making a very long overdue breakfast. As the four headed down the stairs, Roxane vowed silently in her mind that once everything has settled down, she's going to investigate this strange phenomenon all while keeping a close eye on Alex and Jeanne.

 **(0)**

I watch in silence as Miss Roxane close the door with everyone outside the room, Jeanne and Elena were waving with a look on their faces that told me that they will be back as soon as they can. There's also a look of warning coming from Jeanne's mum when miss Roxane mentioned me moving around. It looks like she knew what I wanted to do before I even thought of it.

I turn away from the door, looking straight at the ceiling as I try to ignore the feeling in my throat. I can still feel the searing pain in my throat from talking to Jeanne earlier, like someone had poured acid down my throat when I spoke to her. It was a very stupid thing to do, especially when I know that my throat is very dry. Oh well, at least Jeanne's more at ease now that she knows that I'm alright.

Then there's Elena. She looked like she had been through a lot and I couldn't help but feel guilty that I'm also responsible for that by being in a coma.

I can tell that a lot had happened while I was out and it looks like I'm going to find out just what sooner or later now that I'm awake. I'm not looking forward to it, that's for sure.

I lift my left hand towards the air shakily, hovering it in front of my face as I stare at how thin it had become.

A God given miracle huh…

I try to clench my hand into a fist. Sadly, I couldn't do even that as my fingers only twitched instead of closing down like I wanted it do. It looks like my body has deteriorated far more than I thought. My entire arm trembled before it lost the last of it's strength and my entire limb flopped onto my face. I winched in pain as my hand smacked against my face before I did my upmost to dragged it away to my side. With my sight cleared of any obstacle, I stare into the ceiling once more with a far-off look on my face.

More like a contract with his complete polar opposite.

The out of body experience was... bizarre to say the least but I try not to think too much about it and instead focus on the present. It's safer for my sanity that way. The things that I've discovered while I was standing on the border between life and death… let's just say I'm not looking forward to going there again. That would also mean I'll have to do my damnedest not to die again.

With nothing much to do in my state, I started estimating the amount of time I need to recover and started planning on what I need to do in the future to ensure the so called vision that I was shown didn't come to pass. There are lots to be done after all; things to look into, a deal with the devil to fulfill and a war to prepare for.

Needless to say, this life is going to be a very busy one starting now.

 **-0-**

 **Year 1427, June, 7**

Hey diary, guess what?

It turns out that the dagger that I had bought wasn't really silver. Well, not pure silver at least; more like 20% silver. So, conclusion: It's fake! Faker than a woman's silicone breast!

Anyho, message to the guy who said werewolves are weak against silver.

Unfuck you or whatever.

Anyway, I have a merchant to hunt down so I'll end this here.

 **-0-**

 **Year 1427, June, 15**

There's hair growing on my face!?

Am I turning into a werewolf!?

But there hasn't even been any sign that I'm changing after multiple examinations.

Fuck!

PS: Merchant's dead. Good riddance eh? Now the world has one less laying merchant to deal with.

 **-0-**

 **Year 1427, June, 20**

Turns out it's just facial hair. False alarm people. I'm not turning into a furry.

Thank fucking god for that.

Since I'm already growing it and all, I wonder if I should grow a beard. I'll go ask the girls for their opinion when I meet them.

 **-0-**

 **AN: Ha ha, I lied. There's totally an omake here.**

 **-0-**

 **Omake: Summoning**

 **-0-**

Fujimaru Ritsuka, one of the forty chosen Master for Chaldea was standing in Summoning Room with a very contemplating look on his face. His team had just completed his very first Grand Order not long ago and in doing so, they had managed to restore 15th century France's history to it's rightful state.

The entire mission was a mess from the beginning. They had very few supplies and no personals due to the sabotage caused by the traitorous man with a funny top hat called Lev. Then there's the Rayshift, a machine that was used to transport them through time, was still in an experimental stage which could very well sent them to the wrong place and time; or worst, kill them in the process. But in the end, they managed to pulled through, somehow.

It was a tiring ordeal, mostly because of the endless waves of Wyverns that they had to face during that time period. The only reason why they managed to make it though France so quickly was because of Sasaki Kojiro, the Servant that he had summoned before departing for France. Sasaki made the entire process of mowing through Wyverns a lot easier.

Sasaki couldn't have done it all alone though. They had encountered a lot of Servants who became allies that made the journey easier and more eventful. It was sad that they had to part ways after they acquired the Holy Grail but somehow, Fujimaru had a feeling that they would meet each other again.

After the entire ordeal, he wanted nothing more than taking a nice, long, hot shower before heading to bed but he changed his mind at the last moment. With the concern of powerful enemies that he might encounter in the future, he thought he should take the time to bolster their fighting force first. After all, there's nothing wrong with having more allies to fight by your side.

And thus, he found himself in the Summoning room and did the usual procedure that he had gotten rather used to when Summoning new Servants. After the Servant was Summoned, he would try his best to get to know them. He's keenly aware that not all Servants are easy to work with *coughMephistophelescough* but given time, he's sure he could make things work out.

Well, that was originally the plan but…

"Ano...Senpai?" Mashu started as she stood beside him as her eyes gaze at the center of the Summoning Circle with clear confusion in them.

"Yes Mashu?" Fujimaru replied, looking at the same place she is with equal amount of confusion showing on his face.

"Is this normal?" Mashu asked, gesturing at the Summoning Circle.

"...I honestly don't know." Fujimaru answered.

The reason why the two were so confused was because of what had come forth after the summon. Nothing seem to be out of place when the summoning was going on. The circle lit up like usual, the air was primed with mana for the summon and then the area was enveloped with a bright golden light and a servant would slowly materialized from within the circle. Usually, said Servant would usually introduce themselves after they were summoned. Some did grand speeches, some did a short introduction and others (usually Berserkers) would just growl intimidatingly to convey their intent.

Oddly enough, he understood what those Berserkers were trying to say.

Things were a bit different for this summon though. After the golden light died down and the Summoning Circle dimmed, there's a large box in the middle instead of a Servant.

So far Fujimaru and Mashu had been staring at it for a full five minute with no idea how to proceed.

Fujimaru scratched the back of his head as he frowned. He's pretty sure he did everything right; he even did the chanting as stated in the manual Da Vinci gave him. He could ask the caster if she knew he had done anything wrong but she isn't around for the Summon like she usually is because she's busy compiling and reviewing the data that they had collected during the mission with Romani.

"It looks like a treasure chest from one of those pirate movies. Do you think it's a box class Servant?" Fujimaru suggested.

"I don't think that there's such class Senpai..." Mashu commented wryly before eyeing the box with a scrutinizing gaze. "Do you think there would be treasure inside the chest Senpai?" His purple haired Kohai asked excitedly with stars in her eyes looks at him expectantly.

"Well, I suppose there's only one way to find out. Do you want to try opening it Mashu?"

"Oh no, the honor should be yours Senpai. You're the Master after all and you did summon it. I merely came along just to watch who we'd get."

"We could open it together you know."

"Point. Let's do it Senpai." Mashu beamed excitedly as she drag Fujimaru towards the unassuming chest in the center by his hand.

The two stood in front of it side by side and crouch down to place their hands on the lid. They both looked at each other as their hands rest on top of the wooden surface of the chest before they gave each othera nod, giving the unsaid signal to push the lid open.

Then they excitedly push against the lid to open the chest so they could see what held within it.

The chest didn't open.

""Eh?"" They both let out in confusion. They both tried opening the chest again but like before, the lid remained shut regardless of how much force was exerted. It's strange really. There isn't any lock visible on the chest nor anything keeping it shut and yet, the lid refuses to budge.

"Hmm, this's odd." Fujimaru commented as he continue to examine the front of the chest, wondering just why it won't open.

"Very odd indeed." Mashu muttered, trying her best and failing to hide the disappointed in her voice as she got up and walk around the chest, trying to see if there's any hidden mechanism keeping it from opening. The only thing she found was two metal handles on the sides, most likely something to hold onto when transporting.

Fujimaru rasp his knuckle against the chest, trying to figure out what kind of material it's made off. So far, he could see that it's made out of wood but is it really though? When his knuckle made contact with the chest, it made a loud, echoing thunk from within. This seem to confuse Fujimaru even more as it sounded like the insides are empty...and very deep for there to be such an echo.

Then, moments after he had knocking on the chest, there was sound coming from the box. It was so faint that Fujimaru might have missed it if he wasn't so close to it.

"Wait, I think I heard something." The male said and lean in to press his ear against it, trying to see if he could hear better. Mashu immediately perked up and walk around the chest so she's standing near her Master, looking at what he's doing with interest. Fujimaru narrowed his eyes as he tries to concentrate on the sound coming from within.

"Really?" Mashu asked curiously. "What did you hear?"

"I...I think it sounded like something's rustling in there." Fujimaru told her before looking confused. "….and I think it's getting louder."

Just as the male finished speaking, the lid of the chest shot open so suddenly that he didn't have any chance to react. The lid caught him straight in the face, knocking him to the ground as he cradled his abused nose in pain.

"Senpai!" Mashu cried out in worry, rushing to his side but stopped short when something popped out of the chest.

"Howdy there stranger." A child, looking no more than four years old perhaps, greeted her with an energetic smile. "Are you the one who Summoned me pretty lady?"

' _A child?'_ The thought ran through Mashu's head as she look him over. The child had spiky black hair, a pair of bright blue eyes and is wearing what she presumes to be clothing from medieval times. ' _A child as a Heroic Spirit?'_ The idea of a child having done something so noteworthy that his soul would enter the throne of heroes is too mind blogging for the Demi-Servant to comprehend. "Erm...no. I'm not. Who are you exactly?" She replied to the child's question and asked one of her own.

"A Jack-In-A-Box obviously." The child answered before tilting his head and pursing his lips to the side. "Well, if it's not you who's my Master then who?"

"Ano...That would be me." Fujimaru answered in pain as he push himself up from the floor while gingerly rubbing his nose.

The child took one look at him and the smile on his face became somewhat strained. Then he turned to Mashu with a hopeful look. "Is there any chance I can swap him for you? I promise that I'll in my best behavior if that's the case."

"I don't think that's possible. He's the one who Summoned you after all and I'm also a Servant." Mashu told him sheepishly as she scratch her cheek. "Is there a reason why you wanted me instead of Senpai here to be your Master?"

The boy gave Fujimaru a glance before looking back at Mashu. "Nope. Not really." the other two in the room could tell he was lying.

"I get the feeling that he doesn't like me very much." Fujimaru muttered to himself as he scratch his chin in thought. "I wonder why?"

Having heard his Master, the boy look to the side and muttered to himself in irritation "Maybe that's because you look like a typical anime dense harem protagonist. I bet you don't even know the girl next to you have feelings for you ya dumbass.". Fujimaru didn't hear him but Mashu sure did thanks to her enchanted senses for being a Demi-Servant and she could only offer a wryly smile and a shrug for her Senpai as he look to her for any clue as to why the boy hates dislikes him. She's certainly not going to tell him what she had heard.

"If he ever tries to work his main character charms on me, I'm decking him in the balls." the boy continued to mutter with a very contemplating look before turning his attention back to the two. "Anyway, I think we should get the show on the road." The child said before leveling his gaze at the only other male in the room and straighten himself. "Since you're my Master and all, I suppose I should introduce myself just to be polite." He started crawling out of his chest and stood casually in front of the two with a same beaming smile he had before. The two noticed that the new Servant doesn't barely reach their waist.

"Well then, Servant Prankster- I mean Caster, at your service. The name's Alexander Randall but you can call me Alex for short. Please to meet you Master." He introduces himself to them as he stretch out his hand towards Fujimaru. "Why can't I get a pretty lady as a Master instead of this lame guy." He added disappointingly in the end, but only quietly enough that Mashu could hear.

"Huh? Did you say something in the end there?" Fujimaru asked inquiringly.

"Nope." Alex shook his head rapidly before nodding towards his hand. "What are you waiting for Master? Don't leave me hanging now. Shake the hand, seal the deal."

Fujimaru looked at the hand the boy was sticking out and shrugged. He reached out his own and grabbed on to the hand that was being offered to him to shake it.

 _ ***PFFFFFFT***_

It was when their hands made contact did a loud, farting sound echoed throughout the Summoning room.

Alex pulled back his hand and started laughing at the sight of the flabbergasted looks the other two had when the farting started. "Oh god, I can't believe people in this era still fall for that." He said as he showed the two just what was on his hand. There was some kind of small brown pack stuck onto his palm. "Oh, by the by, that was goat intestine that you've just touched. Fresh too. Just thought you wanted to know."

Fujimaru looked disgusted as he quickly wipe his hand on his shirt. "Why would you even have that?"

"Hey, kids in medieval times just love ripping the guts out of animals to use them as toys. Brutal, I know, but it's entertainment so who can complain; certainly not me." He told them with a smile and the two highly doubt what he said was true. "Well then, now that the introduction is over and done with; I'ma go raid the fridge for something to chow. Call me when you need me. See ya later love birds." He gave them a wave as he dragged the box by the handle behind him and walked out the room without giving them another glance.

As the two watch the boy leave with Mashu shuttering denials, Fujimaru have a feeling that this Servant is going to be a handful while wondering what had got Mashu so worked up.

 **-0-**

 **Profile and Status:**

 **Name: Alexander Randall**

 **AKA: Village Prankster, Jack-In-A-Box**

 **Class: Caster**

 **Rank: 0**

 **Age: 4**

 **Lvl: 25/25 (Max Lvl: 25)**

 **HP: 150** **0** **/** **7500** **ATK:500** **/** **3500**

 **C** **ost: 4**

 **Skills:**

 **Skill 1: Reinforcement: E-**

Increase own defense for 3 turns

 **Skill 2: Field Repair: E**

Recovers own HP

 **Class Skills:**

 **Item Construction: E-**

Increase own debuff success rate

 **Territory Creation: E-**

Increase own Arts card effectiveness

 **Pranking Tools: C**

All attacks have a 1% chance of inflicting debuffs

 **Noble Phantasm:**

 **Box of trickery**

 **Rank: D**

 **Class: Anti-Unit**

Deals miniscule damage to one enemy + Inflicts multiple random debuffs that stacks on a single enemy regardless of resistance for 5 turns. Type and amount of debuffs are randomized.

 **Parameter:**

 **Strength: E- Endurance: E-**

 **Agility: E Mana: C-**

 **Luck: A- NP: D**

 **Character** **Biography**

 **Character Info** **:**

 **Height/Weight:** **99** **cm** **・** **18** **kg  
Series: Fate/** **Stay Night?** **  
Source:** **The Unseen Guardian** **  
Country of Origin:** **France** **  
Alignment:** **Chaotic** **・** **Neutral** **  
Gender:** **Male**

[How do I fit in the chest? It's bigger on the inside of course.]

 **Bond Level 1:**

Due to the unique nature of this Servant (If one could even call him that), he only has art cards available for rapid deployment of his Noble Phantasm. That's the only thing he's useful for after all. He's also very frail due to his childlike body so his way of fighting consist of hiding inside his box and throwing things at the enemy. That box of his is very durable. So far, it had miraculously (barely) survived an Excaliblast unleashed by an angry Arthur when he stole her snack that she was really looking forward to.

 **Bond level 2:**

 **Reinforcement: E-**

A skill that he had no recollection of learning but knows how to instinctively use it to strengthen his box so it could take a bit more beating.

[Stay strong Boxy! If we'll get though this, I'm going to reward ye with more pranking tools to fill yer endless depths.]

 **Field Repair: E**

He basically just stick duct tape all over his box.

[What? Whatever works right?]

 **Bond Level 3:**

 **Item Construction: E-**

He make things, questionable things.

 **Territory Creation: E-**

[It's not that hard really, all I did was piss on the ground to mark my territory.]

Please note that he's not being serious.

 **Pranking Tools: C**

He throws things from his box that seem to be a storage of unspeakable horrors.

There used to be a playboy magazine in it too but it was confiscated.

 **Bond Level 4:**

 **Box of trickery**

 **Rank: D  
Class: Anti-Unit**

Despite Romani's best effort to find out what kind of Legend the boy stems from, they still don't know who he is. What's more confusion to everyone is that box of his that acts as his Noble Phantasm.

When deployed, the box would sprout long, thin arms and legs with a set of sharp teeth lining the edges of it's opening to act like a mouth. Said box would rush over towards the enemy and proceeds to eat them. No one knows what happen while they're inside save for the screams and the mad crackling of a sadistic boy that emitted from inside the box before they were spit out with multiple debuffs already inflicted.

No one has ever asked what had transpired inside the box and they most likely never will.

 **Bond Level 5:**

He is not a proper Servant, rather, he's one of the pieces of one that was shedded away so the original wouldn't be held back by his morals to do what was necessary.

He represents the youthful innocence of a boy who grew up in a peaceful village surrounded by the love of his family and friends.

He dislikes his other selves due to the fact that they are too serious most of the time and tends to avoid them. He mostly spent time with Kid Gil or in that box of his. He's also very jealous that his other selves brought very interesting things with them when they were summoned while he only has a box.

Oddly enough, Jeanne D'arc is the only one who he'd listens to.

His presence is required in the Summon Room for a chance to summon the next piece.

 **Unlock Interlude: Material Collecting**

This devil in disguise once asked his Master and Romani why most of the women that was summoned dressed like street prostitutes. Loudly. Right when most of those women were within hearing distance. All while wearing that dastardly grin of his on his face.

Needless to say, the two males ran away instead of answering his 'innocent' question.

 **Bond 10: Unlock Craft Essence**

 **Serious demeanor**

He is after all, just a child. Everything is but a game to him and the threat of the world ending due to the Singularities is non of the concern for him. But lately, he seem to understood just what is at stake after spending much time with everyone else. He dropped how playful and carefree he usually is while on the field and stopped monkeying around to focus on the task at hand. He even started to properly contribute to the fights as well.

…..

Everyone rather liked it back when he won't just pull out machine guns and rocket launchers out of that box of his and started spraying bullets and bombarding the place.

They also, can't figure out why would a child from Medieval France would even know of machine guns and rocket launchers and where he got them.

Attack animations change upon equip + Attacks now have 5% chance to reduce enemy's NP gauge by 1 and inflict debuffs

[It's time to get serious I suppose. Wish I had a BFG.]

 **-0-**

 **End Chapter**

 **-0-**

 **AN: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed my story. I certainly enjoy reading through them and finding out just what you guys like the most about my story.**

 **Also, if anyone wondered why this took so long to come out; I just want you to know that I'm an avid gamer first, a twenty year old dude who has no idea what to do with life second, and finally, a chronic masturbater third.**

 **Ha! Bet you weren't expecting the third one did ya!?**

 **Jokes aside, the truth is that I only have three hours to write each day(probably) and most of the time, those three hours were used to read someone else's fanfiction or gaming instead. Also, for some reason I can't seem to focus on writing like it used to so quality might drop. I blame having a job for that.**

 **So, instead of waiting patiently for me to update; go read someone else's story until mine gets updated at a very slow pace. A very, very slow pace. Maybe once or twice a year?**

 **This chapter had also undergone quite a few rewrites and even after all that, I still not satisfied with it. Originally, this entire chapter was suppose to be written in a very serious mood but somehow, serious themes and I just don't mix together very well and I can't tell why. So, after a year (or something) of trying, I kinda gave up on the serious aspects and went for the next best thing.**

 **Oh well, now that this is over and done with maybe I can finally progress the plot.**

 **Starting next chapter Alex will be active once more. We'll get to see how he deal with all this. Orrrrrr, we can skip the part and head straight to the time skip. Who wants to read about a moody and brooding MC anyway. Certainly not me.**

 **PS: I've also started playing Waifu collecting Simulat- I mean Fate/Grand Order recently. It's a great game.**


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